Powdery cookies are the most wonderful winter treat! Keto snowball cookies only have 1g net carb each and 5 easy ingredients.
What Are Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are a type of traditional cookie that shows up on Christmas cookie platters across the country. They have a distinct buttery and nutty flavor and look just like little round snowballs.
The texture is just like shortbread, melting in your mouth as soon as you bite into it. They originate from Italy but are really popular across America – especially around Christmas and the winter holidays.
Keto Snowball Cookies
I hacked the original Italian recipe and make a keto-friendly version that tastes almost identical to it! Since each cookie only has 1g net carbs, you can enjoy a few of them without any guilt at all.
The classic snowball cookies are made with walnuts too, so I kept them in my recipe. Thankfully, walnuts are a type of nut that are low in carbs and high in healthy fats and protein.
For the snowball coating, I used Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute. This stuff is amazing! It has the same light and powdery texture as powdered sugar, but it’s sugar-free. In fact, thanks to Swerve, even people not on the keto diet will be gobbling up these cookies.
They can’t tell a difference.
Walnut Snowball Cookies Keto
The recipe calls for “finely chopped walnuts.” It’s very important to make sure they are chopped up really small. If the walnut pieces are too big, they will taste more like nut clusters than a shortbread cookie.
The best way to chop up the walnuts is with a food processor. Another option is to put all the walnuts in a resealable plastic food storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Chopping them up with a knife can also work, but it is a lot more difficult.
Keto Christmas Cookies
What is your favorite thing about Christmas cookies? Is it making them? Eating them? Handing them out on fun decorative trays? These low-carb snowball cookies are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie traditions!
Kids love making them. They are so much fun to roll in the Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute when they are hot and fresh out of the oven. The entire process is easy enough for kids.
From the mixing to the baking to the rolling in the sugar-free coating, this is a fantastic way to make memories together.
Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies
Even if you have friends or family members that aren’t on the keto diet, these are still the perfect cookies to hand out. They are naturally gluten-free since they are made with almond flour instead of wheat flour.
One note about the almond flour. Please remember to use almond flour, not almond meal. They are sold next to each other in the grocery store, so it’s really easy to grab the wrong one.
If you use almond meal, the snowball cookies will have a grittier texture that doesn’t melt in your mouth very well.
Keto Snowball Cookies Recipe
Here’s the list of ingredients that you’ll need to make these keto snowballs cookies. The exact measurements and instructions are located in the printable recipe card just a little bit further below.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 20 cookies
Net Carbs: 1 net carb per serving
Ingredients:
Finely chopped walnuts
Almond flour
Swerve confectioners sugar substitute
Butter
Vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, but only a ½ cup of the confectioners sugar substitute. Blend on high until well incorporated.
2. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Form the dough into 20 evenly sized balls, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. As soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle, gently roll them in the ¼ cup of confectioner sugar substitute. Let cool completely, and then roll them in the sugar substitute again before serving.
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Keto Snowball Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup Walnuts finely-chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve Confectioner's Sugar Substitute plus 1/4 cup, divided
- 8 tbsp Butter softened
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, but only a ½ cup of the confectioners sugar substitute. Blend on high until well incorporated.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Form the dough into 20 evenly sized balls, and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- As soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle, gently roll them in the ¼ cup of confectioner sugar substitute. Let cool completely, and then roll them in the sugar substitute again before serving.
Keto Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed these keto snowball cookies, here are some more low-carb treats you should make next! They are fantastically delicious.