Pumpkin Snowballs (Vegan Snowball Cookies with Pecans)
Pumpkin snowballs are round cookies in a snowy coat of powdered sugar, with pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and toasted pecans worked into the dough. They’re vegan too, with coconut oil doing the job butter usually does.
The dough comes together with a whisk and a spatula, and one roll in powdered sugar while they’re warm is all the finishing they need. Grab your mixing bowl and let’s make it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re vegan snowball cookies as written, so the guest who skips dairy or eggs gets the same cookie as everyone else instead of a separate batch.
- The dough doesn’t need to chill before rolling, so the tray can go into the oven as soon as the balls are shaped.
- They don’t spread, so the balls can sit close together on the sheet and come out round.
- If you already know how to make snowball cookies, nothing here will surprise you, and if you don’t, this is an easy snowball cookies recipe to learn on.
When and Who This Is For
A plate of these pumpkin snowball cookies fits right in at:
- A Thanksgiving dessert table, as the bite-size option next to the pies
- A December cookie tray, as a pumpkin-spiced twist on the Christmas snowball cookies already there
- A wedding or shower cookie table any time of year, which suits a cookie that also goes by the name “wedding cookie”
Depending on where you grew up, you might know this cookie as Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, polvorones or butterballs. They’re vegan, dairy free and egg free as written, but they do contain pecans and all-purpose flour, so they aren’t nut free or gluten free.
Ingredients
Makes 24 cookies.
- 1 cup (110 g) pecan pieces
- ½ cup (120 ml) coconut oil, soft or melted and cooled
- ½ cup (130 g) pumpkin puree, chilled
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (128 g) powdered sugar, divided
- 1 ½ tsp (3 g) pumpkin spice blend
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
Coconut oil. Refined coconut oil keeps the flavor neutral, while virgin coconut oil leaves a note of coconut in the background.
Pumpkin puree. Buy the can labeled 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which comes already sweetened and spiced, and chill it before you start. This batch uses about half a cup, so most of a 15-ounce can is left over, and the vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies take another half cup.
Pumpkin spice blend. Any store-bought blend works. If you’re out of one, mix ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon, ½ tsp (1 g) ground ginger, ¼ tsp (½ g) ground nutmeg and ¼ tsp (½ g) ground cloves.
Flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it off, or weigh out 240 g. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and too much flour is a common reason this kind of dough won’t hold together.
How to Make Pumpkin Snowballs
- Toast the pecans. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Chop the pecans finely, into small pieces rather than crumbs, then spread them in an even layer on the sheet and toast for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant but not dark. Take them out, leave the oven on, and let the pecans cool completely before they go anywhere near the dough.
2. Whisk the pumpkin mixture. In a large bowl, combine the chilled pumpkin puree, ½ cup + 2 tbsp (71 g) of the powdered sugar, the vanilla and the coconut oil, then whisk until pale and fluffy. The cold pumpkin firms up the coconut oil as you whisk, which is what gives the dough its crumbly texture.
3. Add the spice and salt. Stir in the pumpkin spice blend and the salt.
4. Fold in the flour. Add the flour and fold until it’s fully incorporated, with no dry lumps left.
5. Fold in the pecans. Add the cooled pecans and fold them through. The dough will look slightly crumbly, in loose clumps rather than one smooth mass, but a portion should hold together when you press it into a ball.
6. Roll the balls. Scoop 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) of dough at a time and roll each portion into a ball between your palms. Set them on the parchment-lined sheet you used for the pecans, once it has cooled. They can sit fairly close together.
7. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are firm and just starting to brown on the bottom. Lifting one to check underneath is the easiest way to tell, and smaller balls will be ready a little sooner.
8. Rest for 5 minutes. Leave them on the sheet, since they’re fragile straight out of the oven and those few minutes firm them up enough to handle.
9. Roll them in powdered sugar. Put the remaining ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar in a small bowl. While the cookies are still warm but no longer hot, roll each one in the sugar until it’s well coated. The warmth melts the first layer slightly so it clings, which is why the coat looks a little translucent in places.
10. Cool completely before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Spiced coat. Stir about 1 tsp of pumpkin spice blend into the rolling sugar. It tints the coat a light tan and puts some of the spice on the outside.
- Chocolate instead of sugar. For a mixed holiday tin, skip the sugar on part of the batch and dip those cookies halfway into melted dairy-free dark chocolate once they’ve cooled (make sure to check the label).
- Other nuts. Finely chopped walnuts can stand in for the pecans, and they’re a traditional choice in this cookie family.
- Gluten free. This recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flour. If you try it, a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend is the swap to reach for, since almond flour isn’t a straight replacement for wheat flour.
Ways to Use Them
Set them out with something warm to drink. The vegan Christmas hot chocolate with almond milk scales up for a crowd and holds in a slow cooker, so a cookie-and-cocoa table mostly looks after itself. The dairy free pumpkin spice latte with oat milk takes a few more spoonfuls from the same can of pumpkin.
For gifting, layer them in a tin with parchment between the rows and give the top layer a fresh dusting of powdered sugar just before you hand it over. For an all-vegan holiday box, tuck in a few wrapped slices of the vegan chocolate chip Christmas zucchini bread.
Questions You May Have About These Snowball Cookies
Are these the same as Mexican wedding cookies?
They’re close relatives. The name polvorones comes from polvo, the Spanish word for dust, and in the US the same family also goes by snowball cookies or pecan ball cookies. Classic versions are built on butter, though, and this one uses coconut oil and adds pumpkin puree, which brings far more moisture than an all-butter dough has. If you’ve been looking for vegan Mexican wedding cookies, think of these as the pumpkin branch of the family rather than a copy of the original. The method is the same as any snowball cookies recipe: mix, roll, bake and roll in sugar.
Why is my snowball cookie dough too dry to roll?
Some crumbliness is normal here, and the dough should still press into a ball in your palm. If it keeps falling apart, check the flour first, since a packed cup adds more than 240 g. Dough that has sat in the fridge can also firm up as the coconut oil sets, so let it warm until it’s pliable again. If it’s still too dry after that, work in water or plant milk a teaspoon at a time until it holds.
Do you roll snowball cookies twice?
Plenty of bakers do, and it’s worth it if you want them bright white. The first roll happens while the cookies are warm, so that layer melts slightly and turns a little see-through. A second roll once they’ve cooled completely sticks to the first layer and stays opaque, so keep a little extra powdered sugar on hand for it. One roll, as written here, gives the thinner, slightly patchy coat you see in the photos.
Why did my snowball cookies flatten?
Warmth is the most likely cause with this dough. Coconut oil starts to melt at around 76°F (24°C), so a hot kitchen, pecans that went in before they cooled, or a baking sheet still warm from toasting can all soften the dough before it reaches the oven. If your kitchen runs warm, chill the dough for about 10 minutes before rolling. Keep the chill short, because coconut oil sets hard in the fridge and very cold dough is difficult to shape.
Can you freeze snowball cookies, and how long do they keep?
Yes, baked or as unbaked dough. Freeze the rolled dough balls on a tray, bag them once solid, then thaw them in the fridge and bake as usual. Baked cookies go into an airtight container with parchment between the layers and keep in the freezer for up to a month. Roll them in powdered sugar again after thawing, since the coat tends to fade in storage. At room temperature, an airtight container in a cool spot keeps them for up to 3 days, and they don’t need the fridge.
Related Recipes
- Soft and Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: thick drop cookies with dark chocolate, and another use for the rest of that can of pumpkin
- Vegan Christmas Hot Chocolate with Almond Milk: a classic cup with peppermint, gingerbread and orange spice variations, plus a big-batch version for a crowd
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Christmas Zucchini Bread: a chocolate loaf with warm spice that slices and freezes well for holiday gifting
- Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Latte with Oat Milk: pumpkin puree, oat milk and warm spices in a mug, sweetened with maple syrup
Pass the Plate
Snowball cookies come with a small, happy mess: powdered sugar on your fingers, a dusting across the tablecloth, a little on whoever reached for the plate first. That trail usually means a plate got passed around and people stayed a while. Bake a batch for whichever table you’re gathering around next, whatever the month, and save this to Pinterest so it’s there when you need it.
Pumpkin Snowballs (Vegan Snowball Cookies with Pecans)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan pieces 110 g
- ½ cup coconut oil 120 ml, soft or melted and cooled
- ½ cup pumpkin puree 130 g, chilled
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar 128 g, divided
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice blend 3 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 ml
- ½ tsp salt 3 g
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Finely chop the pecans, spread them on the sheet and toast for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant but not dark. Remove them, leave the oven on, and let them cool completely.
- In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, ½ cup + 2 tbsp (71 g) powdered sugar, vanilla and coconut oil until pale and fluffy.
- Stir in the pumpkin spice blend and salt.
- Fold in the flour until fully incorporated with no lumps, then fold in the toasted pecans. The dough will be slightly crumbly but should hold together when rolled.
- Scoop 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) portions, roll them into balls, and place them close together on the cooled, parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until firm and just beginning to brown on the bottom.
- Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Roll the warm (not hot) cookies in the remaining ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar until well coated.
- Cool completely before serving.
Notes
- No pumpkin spice blend? Mix ½ tsp ground cinnamon (1 g), ½ tsp ground ginger (1 g), ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (½ g) and ¼ tsp ground cloves (½ g).
- Store in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Roll again in powdered sugar after thawing.
- For a whiter coat, roll the cookies a second time once completely cool.
