Melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Snowball Cookies are a buttery burst of lemon flavor in every bite without lemon extract. Tossed in powdered sugar, these nut free snowball cookies are eggless and don’t require any chilling prior to baking!


Lemon Snowball Cookies tossed in powdered sugar and sitting on baking sheet


I love my friends, but they sure can be picky eaters.

One isn’t a fan of chocolate. One doesn’t like coconut, nuts, or peppermint. Another is allergic to coconut while someone else is allergic to pineapple.

Then of course you have the ones on Weight Watchers, so they rarely eat anything I make.

Then there’s one online friend who I have bonded with quite well, so we exchanged Christmas cookies. The problem is she doesn’t like chocolate, peanut butter, or ginger.

Um, hello? It’s Christmas cookie season! How can you make Christmas cookies without those three ingredients?!

I knew she has a love affair with lemon, so I baked her these Lemon Snowball Cookies.

Think melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread cookies coated with powdered sugar.

Also known as tea cake cookies, they’re similar to chocolate chip snowball cookies but with a burst of lemon flavor instead of chocolate.

Lemon snowballs are also less work than my coconut snowball cookies stuffed with a fun surprise.

All you have to do is mix together the dough, portion them into 1 tablespoon balls, and bake. No need to chill the dough prior to baking.

In fact if you need lemon cookies right now for your Christmas cookie tray, you can have them ready to serve in under an hour.

Originally my lemon snowballs contained lemon extract, but let’s face it – nobody actually has lemon extract in their pantry.

Much like my lemon fudge, I bumped up the lemon zest so you can still taste citrus without buying an unnecessary ingredient.

Another bonus – most snowball recipes out there make dozens and dozens of cookies.

My small batch lemon cookies make 1 dozen. You can even cut the recipe down further for 6 cookies depending on how many people you’re serving.


Lemon Snowballs on a baking tray

Ingredients For Lemon Snowball Cookies

To make your lemon snowballs, gather the following ingredients:

  • Butter: The key to the melt in your mouth texture is butter. Do not substitute margarine or whipped butter.
  • Powdered sugar: Used to sweeten the dough and for tossing after baking
  • Lemon zest:Don’t skimp on the zest as this is where the lemon flavor comes from!
  • Vanilla: Enhances flavor so they’re extra delicious
  • All-purpose flour: Binds the dough together to form your cookies
  • Salt: Flavors the dough so it isn’t bland

Lemon Snowball Cookies on a cookie tray with lemons

How To Make Lemon Snowball Cookies

To make lemon wedding cookies:

  1. Beat together butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
  2. Beat in flour and salt until a dough forms.
  3. Scoop into 1 tablespoon balls either by hand or with a size 60 cookie scoop.
  4. Bake at 350F for 8-10 or until lightly browned.
  5. Roll in powdered sugar then finish cooling.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.


Close up of lemon tea cake cookie

Lemon Snowball Cookies FAQ

Why is my dough crumbly?

If your dough is too crumbly, keep mixing. Sometimes it’ll take an extra minute or two to form a dough, especially if you’re using a hand mixer.

Can you freeze snowball cookies?

Yes, freeze cookies by putting them in a single layer on a tray or plate then freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month. It’s likely you’ll need to re-roll them in powdered sugar once they thaw.

Can you substitute orange or lime zest?

You can also use orange or lime zest to make citrus snowball cookies.


Lemon Wedding Cookies on a baking tray

More Lemon Cookie Recipes

Is lemon your favorite flavor? Check out these other lemon cookie recipes:

Close up of lemon tea cake cookie

Lemon Snowball Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Snowball Cookies are a buttery burst of lemon flavor in every bite. Tossed in powdered sugar, these nut free snowball cookies are eggless and don't require any chilling prior to baking

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line one cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl on medium-high speed (with the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat together the butter, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon zest, and vanilla until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
  3. Scrape down the bowl. On low speed gradually beat in the flour and salt until a dough forms, about 1 minute (it'll look crumbly and dry, but it'll come together. If it doesn't come together, keep beating on low speed).
  4. Using a small #60 cookie scoop or your hands, shape the dough into 1 tablespoon balls. Place on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart as they won't spread much.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes.
  6. Mix together remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon zest then carefully roll cookies. Cool completely.

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

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First published January 15, 2013