Lemon Snowball Cookies
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Lemon Snowball Cookies are a light and fresh addition to your Christmas Cookie spread—or any time of year. A snowball cookie is a classic, but the lemon flavor keeps it from being too overly sweet. These will have you licking your fingers and reaching for more.
This recipe comes from my favorite snowball cookie recipe which has actually been my most popular recipe this December. I took that recipe and incorporated vibrant and delicious lemon because lemon is one of my most loved flavors (you can see more of my lemon cookies here ). During the holiday months, there are so many deep and rich flavors: caramels, chocolates, nuts, molasses, pumpkin, and more. Mixing it up with zesty and light lemon is such a welcome change! Trust me. These will go faster than your chocolate desserts.
I’m pretty sure I like these even more than the original! That’s expected from me though—doesn’t lemon just make everything better?
Tips for Making Lemon Snowball Cookies
These cookies have that irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture, and you are going to just love the light tartness paired with the generous sugary coating. Try these cookies for your annual Christmas Cookie Exchange or with your New Year’s Eve celebration.
- You can start these Lemon Snowball Cookies in advance by mixing and storing the dough in the fridge. Then roll and bake whenever you’re ready!
- Add some festive sprinkles or a colorful food spray.
- Try a taste test of traditional snowball cookies vs. lemon snowball cookies.
- Make these lemon snowball cookies alongside your other Christmas cookies for a cookie exchange or neighbor deliveries.
- Pair these cookies with lemonade or sweet tea during the warmer months—they’re perfect for a fancy tea party!
Additional Christmas Cookies to Try
- M&M Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Tree Cookies
- White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
- White Chocolate Gingerbread Star Cookies
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Lemon Snowball Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp (24g) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (84g) powdered sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons (about 4 tsp)
- 2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (68g) finely chopped almonds
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar, for coating
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter on medium speed until creamy, about 20 seconds. Blend in 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Mix in lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract.
- With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combine. Stir in almonds. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees halfway through chilling.
- Scoop dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and roll into a ball, then place balls on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2-inches apart and bake in preheated oven for 14 - 16 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes then while cookies are still warm, pour 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a bowl and roll cookies in powdered sugar.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool then once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar once more, this time to generously coat (I pressed it into the powdered sugar to give it a thick coating). Store cookies in an airtight container.
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- Christmas
- Cookies
- Desserts
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- Sandy Can I make it without the almonds? I am allergic to nuts! October 12, 2025 Reply Jaclyn Yes you can make it without almonds. October 19, 2025 Reply
- Valerie Delicious, delicate cookie! Light lemon flavor, which makes them so great! December 19, 2024 Reply
- Maria F I just made these cookies and they have a funny after taste, and they don’t hold together. I followed the recipe exactly, and went back over it to see if I missed something….nope, I won’t be making these again! December 17, 2023 Reply
- Pam Disaster! Ended up with melted snowballs that wouldn’t even stick together. I read and reread the instructions multiple times trying to figure out what I might have done wrong. Was really looking forward to these only to be disappointed and feel like I wasted a lot of ingredients unnecessarily. December 4, 2021 Reply
- Joyce Miller These are the best!!! December 19, 2020 Reply
- Cheryl Not exactly what I expected. I have a recipe that looks the same but is butter not lemon, some versions I think are Russian tea. I thought the cookie would be more delicate. Anyway, if I was to make these again, I would add more zest and juice as I didn’t find it had enough lemon flavor for my personal taste. February 27, 2020 Reply
Lemon Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp (24g) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (84g) powdered sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons (about 4 tsp)
- 2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (68g) finely chopped almonds
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar, for coating
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter on medium speed until creamy, about 20 seconds. Blend in 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Mix in lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract.
- With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combine. Stir in almonds. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees halfway through chilling.
- Scoop dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and roll into a ball, then place balls on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2-inches apart and bake in preheated oven for 14 - 16 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes then while cookies are still warm, pour 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a bowl and roll cookies in powdered sugar.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool then once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar once more, this time to generously coat (I pressed it into the powdered sugar to give it a thick coating). Store cookies in an airtight container.
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