These Gingerbread Snowball Cookies are a spicy twist to classic snowball cookies and are filled with molasses and the warm, cozy spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves!

Cookie season is upon us! It’s time to dig out the old favorites and find a few new ones to add to the mix! One of those old favorites for me is the classic snowball cookie.

Rich, buttery snowball cookies have made an appearance at my family Christmas gatherings for years, and they’ve been some of my favorite cookies to indulge in.

There’s something about that crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture and the sweet, buttery flavor that will always make me think of Christmas.

Over the years we’ve tried a few variations to the classic. While the spiced eggnog snowball cookies and the peppermint crunch snowball cookies definitely deserve a spot on the cookie platter, they are going to have to make room for a batch of these gingerbread snowball cookies!

The warm, cozy spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves combine with molasses for the classic gingerbread flavor. To intensify the flavor a bit, more cinnamon and ginger is added to the confectioner’s sugar coating.

Rich and buttery, spicy and sweet, these cookies are a great addition to the holiday dessert table!

Tips for Making Gingerbread Snowball Cookies

Dough may appear dry and crumbly when mixing, but it should hold together when pressed.
Bake just until the bottoms start to turn light brown. Over-baking the cookies will cause them to be too dry and crumbly.
If the confectioner’s sugar looks like it has melted too much by the time you’re done rolling the cookies, just give them another light roll in confectioner’s sugar.
Don’t want to roll each individual cookie? Use a small cookie scoop and scoop dough out onto the prepared baking sheet (making sure that the dough is packed into the scoop). You won’t get as round of cookies, but it will cut down on the amount of time it takes to make them.

More Snowball Cookie Recipes to Try!

Peppermint Crunch Snowball Cookies
Spiced Eggnog Snowball Cookies
Snowball Cookies 3 Ways
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies — Cooking Classy

Gingerbread Snowball Cookies

Name: Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 36
Ingredients: 1 Cup butter, softened; 3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar; 2 Tablespoons molasses; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ginger; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon cloves; 3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/8 teaspoon ginger

Yield: approximately 36 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These Gingerbread Snowball Cookies are a spicy twist to classic snowball cookies and are filled with molasses and the warm, cozy spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves!

Ingredients

For the Cookies

1 Cup butter, softened
3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

For the Sugar Coating

3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, cream together butter and confectioner's sugar. Add in molasses and vanilla extract and beat until creamy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients until dough comes together. Dough may be stiff but should come together when pressed.
Roll dough into balls by tablespoonful (or use a small cookie scoop and scoop dough out), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.
Cool for 2-4 minutes (or until you can handle the cookies without burning your hands!).
Whisk together confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, and ginger together in a small bowl. Roll cookies in confectioner's sugar mixture until well-coated.
Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. If sugar coating has melted too much into some of the cookies, give them another roll in the confectioner's sugar mixture.
Store leftovers in an airtight container.