These red velvet snowball cookies are soft, round cocoa cookies with a few white chocolate chips sealed inside and a coat of shredded coconut on the outside. The recipe makes about 20 cookies and takes a little over an hour, including a 30 minute chill.
The coconut is what makes them snowballs. While the cookies are still warm, you brush them with a little water or sugar syrup and roll them straight into the coconut, so it sticks and stays white against the red. They came from wanting the snow day cookies of my childhood to look the part.
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- Makes: about 20 cookies
- Time: 25 minutes prep, 30 minutes chilling, 10 to 12 minutes baking
- Oven: 350°F (175°C) on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Filling: 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 2 to 3 chips per cookie
- Coating: 1/2 cup shredded coconut over a light brush of water or sugar syrup
- Keeps: 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature
Why This Red Velvet Dough Is So Dark
Most red velvet uses a spoonful or two of cocoa. This dough has 1/4 cup with 1 1/2 cups of flour, so the cookies taste properly chocolatey and bake up a deep, brick red rather than bright cherry. The 1 tablespoon of red food coloring can be gel or liquid. Gel gives the deeper shade without thinning the dough, which already gets 1/4 cup of buttermilk for tang and softness.
Beat the softened butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light, then mix in the egg, vanilla and coloring. Add the flour mixture in two parts with the buttermilk in between, starting and ending with the dry. Stop as soon as no streaks remain. Overmixing makes these cookies tough instead of soft.
More Christmas Bakes to Try
Four more festive favorites for your holiday baking.
Shaping and Sealing the White Chocolate Center
Cover the dough and chill it for at least 30 minutes. Straight from the bowl it is soft and sticky, and you cannot press a clean well into it. Chilled, it rolls like play dough.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Press your thumb into the center, drop in 2 to 3 white chocolate chips, then pinch the dough closed over them and roll it smooth again. Check each one: if you can see a chip, it will leak, and melted white chocolate scorches fast on a hot tray. Space the balls about 1 inch apart.
Baking Red Cookies Without Overbaking Them
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Red dough hides browning, so do not wait for color. They are ready when the tops have turned from shiny to matte and the edges feel set when you nudge one. The centers will still feel soft, and that is right: the cookies firm up as they cool and keep a rounded shape with a slightly flat bottom.
Break one open while it is warm and the white chocolate is molten. At room temperature it turns soft and creamy instead.
Getting the Coconut to Stick
Work while the cookies are still warm from the oven. Brush each one lightly with water or a thin sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and hot water, stirred until clear, is enough), then roll it straight into the 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. The warm, damp surface grabs the coconut and holds it. If the cookies cool first, the coconut just falls off.
Set the coated cookies back on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Brush lightly: a soaked cookie goes soggy and the coconut clumps.
Coconut or Powdered Sugar?
Coconut is the coating this recipe is written for. It stays white, adds a little chew, and does not melt into the cookie. Powdered sugar gives the classic snowball look most people picture. If you prefer it, skip the brushing, roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar, and roll them a second time once they are cool. The first coat melts in; the second stays snowy. Expect a sweeter cookie that needs a fresh dusting after a day.
Swaps and Storage
- Jam center: seedless raspberry or strawberry jam can replace the white chocolate. Use about 1/2 teaspoon of a thick jam and seal it just as carefully.
- Make the dough ahead: it can stay covered in the fridge overnight. Let it sit for 10 minutes so it rolls without cracking.
- Storage: keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Roll them in a little fresh coconut before serving if the coat looks thin.
- Gifting: pack them in a single layer with parchment between rows so the coconut does not rub off.
For a full snowball cookie box, add my classic chocolate snowball cookies or the raspberry filled almond snowball cookies. If red velvet is the theme, my red velvet crinkle cookies and red velvet dessert cups sit well next to them, and the red velvet cake is there for the big occasions.
If you bake these for a cookie exchange, tell me in the comments whether you went with coconut or powdered sugar.
Red Velvet Snowball Cookies with White Chocolate Filling
These red velvet snowball cookies are soft cocoa red velvet cookies made with butter, buttermilk, red food coloring and a hidden center of white chocolate chips, rolled in shredded coconut. The recipe makes about 20 cookies in a little over an hour, including a 30 minute chill, and bakes at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Each ball of chilled dough is pressed with a thumb well, filled with 2 to 3 white chocolate chips and sealed, so the center stays molten when warm and creamy when cool. Brush the warm cookies with water or sugar syrup so the coconut sticks and stays white. Use these red velvet snowballs for Christmas cookie boxes, cookie exchanges and holiday platters, and keep them airtight for 3 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE COOKIES:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring (gel or liquid)
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup white chocolate chips (for filling)
- sugar syrup (for coating)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (for coating)
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until fully combined.
- CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- ADD EGG AND COLORING: Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and red food coloring until the batter is smooth and evenly colored.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined; do not overmix.
- CHILL THE DOUGH: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm it up for easier shaping.
- SHAPE AND FILL THE COOKIES: Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Press your thumb into the center to create a small well, then place 2–3 white chocolate chips inside. Fold the dough around the filling and roll it back into a ball, sealing the chocolate completely.
- BAKE: Place the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are set. The cookies will be slightly flat on the bottom but should maintain a rounded shape.
- COAT WITH COCONUT: While still warm, brush each cookie lightly with water or a thin layer of sugar syrup. Immediately roll in shredded coconut to coat the surface. The moisture helps the coconut adhere and stay white.
- COOL AND SERVE: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm for a melted white chocolate center, or at room temperature for a creamy texture.
Notes
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes so you can press a clean well for the chips. Seal the white chocolate completely; any gap lets it leak and scorch on the tray. Red dough hides browning, so bake until the tops look matte and the edges are set, even if the centers feel soft. Brush and roll in coconut while the cookies are still warm or the coating will not stick. Use gel food coloring for a deeper red without thinning the dough. Seedless raspberry or strawberry jam can replace the white chocolate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; refresh the coconut before serving if needed.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 230Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 24mgSodium 92mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 2gSugar 16gProtein 4g
Lovely recipe. But your steps are out of order. Says glaze after baking, then baking. Making these for my son’s class. Will just royal icing the tops
Thank you for catching that mistake in the recipe steps, Amelia. It’s important feedback like yours that helps improve my recipes. The royal icing sounds like a delightful touch for your son’s class. I hope the cookies bring smiles all around!