These hojicha snowball cookies are the easiest holiday cookies you can make! They're buttery and crunchy with a snowy powdered sugar coating and they're packed with a strong hojicha roasted green tea flavour.
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Notes from the baker
Snowball cookies are classic holiday cookies that I knew I wanted to include in this year's cookie series. The hardest part was deciding what flavour to make them in.
I chose hojicha (roasted green tea) because of its ease of use and unique flavour. I'm really happy with the choice! The flavour of these hojicha snowball cookies is intense and delicious. My house smelled amazing the moment these cookies came out of the oven.
These cookies would make such an easy and cute addition to any Christmas cookie boxes because they're stable at room temperature for several days and they're so easy to make!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Crunchy and crumbly cookies. These cookies have a satisfying buttery and crunchy texture.
- Strong hojicha flavour and aroma. If you're a fan of hojicha, you'll love these cookies! I didn't skimp on the hojicha and it really stands out in these cookies.
- Sweet, snowy sugar coating. The powdered sugar gives them the iconic look that makes snowball cookies look like actual snowballs.
- Easy to make. These cookies are ready to eat in an hour and only needs 6 ingredients. They're so simple anyone can make them.
- Makes many cookies at once. This recipe makes about 30 small cookies so it's perfect for cookie boxes or sharing with friends.
Tools
- Electric hand mixer - I almost always use a hand mixer when making cookies, especially if the recipe involved softened butter. It makes mixing so much easier and faster.
- 1.5-tablespoon cookie scooper - Use a small cookie scoop for the perfect little snowballs. Using a scooper ensures all the cookies are the same size.
- Baking sheet - You can use any baking sheet or baking tray to bake your cookies.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Hojicha powder - Hojicha is roasted green tea and can be found in the same way as matcha powder. It has a deep, roasted, nutty flavour that really comes through in these cookies since there aren't many other ingredients competing with it.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - This should be softened to room temperature to make it easier to mix and to ensure the dough isn't too dry.
- Powdered sugar - Essential for the white "snow" coating on the cookies.
- Vanilla extract
Tips for making the best hojicha snowball cookies
- Chill the dough if it's too sticky. Chilling the dough isn't a necessary step but if your dough is too sticky and soft to roll, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes. I'd recommend scooping out the dough balls first and then chilling them before rolling them in your hands otherwise the dough might get too hard to scoop.
- Use a cookie scoop. I love portioning out cookie dough with a scoop because they always come out the same size and it's mess-free. A small scoop (approximated 1.5 tablespoons) is perfect for these cookies. If you don't have a scoop, you can always weigh each dough ball.
- Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they're still warm. The heat and oils on the cookies will melt the powdered sugar and create a sticky layer that we want. We need this tacky layer for the second coating of powdered sugar to stick to the cookies.
- Use new powdered sugar for the second coat. Some of the sticky melted sugar from the first powdered sugar layer can get mixed into the first batch of powdered sugar so it's ideal to use some fresh powdered sugar for the second coat. I've indicated dividing the powdered sugar amount in half in the recipe for this purpose.
Storage
These hojicha snowball cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The powdered sugar coating doesn't freeze well but the cookie dough and the uncoated cookies can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before baking or rolling in powdered sugar.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More cookie recipes to try
- Hojicha Cookies
- Matcha Crinkle Cookies
- Matcha Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Ferrero Rocher Blossom Cookies
Recipe
Hojicha Snowball Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 270 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons hojicha powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 230 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For rolling
- 150 g powdered sugar, divided in half
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Flour mixture: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, hojicha powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Butter mixture: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the softened butter until very creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Combine flour and butter mixtures: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Scoop cookies: Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough and release them onto your lined baking sheet.
- Roll cookies: Roll each cookie dough ball in between your hands until round and smooth and replace them on the baking sheet, leaving at least 1" in between each cookie. If the dough is sticky, chill them in the fridge for about 15 minutes before rolling.
- Bake: Bake cookies for about 20-22 minutes or until the bottom edges are lightly browned.
- Cool slightly: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until they're warm but not hot and a bit firmer than when they first came out of the oven.
- Roll in powdered sugar: While the cookies are still warm, coat them in the first layer of powdered sugar (use half of the powdered sugar amount) and let the heat melt the sugar into a sticky layer. There are a few ways you can do this. 1) Roll each cookie in powdered sugar one at a time with your fingers. 2) Place the powdered sugar and cookies in a ziploc bag and shake it around. 3) Leave the cookies on the baking sheet and sift powdered sugar on top of them and toss them around to coat all sides.
- Roll in powdered sugar again: Let the cookies cool completely. Once cooled, coat them in a final layer of powdered sugar (use the remaining half of the powdered sugar) in any method you prefer.
Peggy from Pittsburgh
I just made these. The dough itself-delish! I was nervous about all the confectioner sugar since I typically do not enjoy super sweet desserts, but I understand the need to powder these in two stages for the snowball effect. For the first coat, I used only 60 grams and shook the cookies in a plastic bag. Since my cookies were possibly too cooled, that amount was enough to thoroughly coat all the cookies. Then I only used a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar sifted through a fine strainer for my final coat. Plenty sweet for me with strong hojicha flavor--will definitely make again!