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    Home / Desserts / Cookies
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    Buckwheat Cacao Nib Snowballs

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Dec 15, 2012 (updated Feb 3, 2020) / 14 Comments Jump to Recipe

    close up of snowball

    It's not often that one has a snowball fight in San Francisco, but that is precisely what's been going down in my kitchen the past few Decembers. I've been trying to bake a great snowball that's crumbly and delicate, not too sweet, with an addictive salty kick.

    slivers of nuts on a board

    Also called Mexican wedding cakes, polvorones, and Russian tea cakes, I have a soft spot for these buttery, bite-sized cookies made with loads of toasty nuts and coated in powdered sugar. Jay's mom makes the world's most perfect snowballs. She gives us a tin every year at Christmas, and every year I ponder what makes them so delicate and addictive. Then I help myself to another. And another.

    dry ingredients in a bowl

    Luckily for me, Mary is not only generous with her cookies, but also with her cookie recipes, and now I have the key to awesome snowballs, all year round (cue thunder and mad scientist-type laughter). Thank you, Mary!

    butter and buckwheat in a bowl

    I've been experimenting with different spices, nuts and add-ins, and, next to the original, this is my and Jay's favorite version thus far.

    buckwheat mix

    I inherited a large bag of cacao nibs, and decided to make a dent in them. Last month at a tech rehearsal, my dance mate Steve reached into his bag for a snack, and came up with a sour expression on his face. He had been bamboozled by the bag's advertisement of "super food" and thought that raw, unsweetened cacao nibs would make a good snack. If you've never eaten a straight nib, it's a bit like chewing on a coffee bean coated in unsweetened chocolate - bracingly bitter. Steve realized that noshing on nibs was a no-go, and handed me the remains of the bag when I assured him that they're better baked into cookies than on their own.

    snowballs in a bowl

    I thought they'd be ideal in these sugar-coated cookies, which can run the risk of being overly sweet, so I paired them with nutty buckwheat flour (a combination inspired by Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert via Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks) and almonds for a twist on these classic winter holiday cookies.

    snowballs on baking sheet

    After making them several times, I've learned a few key pointers for making great snowballs.

    It's the size that counts: Not just the size of the cookies (too big and they're hard to eat, too small and the sugar-to-cookie ratio is all wrong), but also the size of nuts. Though it's tempting to grind the nuts in a food processor, Mary always hand-chops hers, and this is key. Hand-chopping gives you a variety of sizes ranging from powder to 1/8" chunks. When the nuts are too finely ground, they result in a dry, hard cookie, whereas a range of pieces leaves the cookie meltingly tender, like great shortbread.

    row of snowballs

    All mixed up: I prefer using the so-called biscuit method (rubbing cold butter into the dry ingredients) to the creaming method (creaming softened butter with sugar). Rubbing in the butter, either with your fingertips or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer (never a food processor, which can grind the nuts too fine, see above) coats the gluten strands with butter, keeping them short and weak, which leads to tender cookies.

    snowballs being dusted

    Keep your cool: Starting with cold butter has another bonus: you don't have to wait for the butter to soften, and you don't need to chill a soft dough before forming the cookies. And that means cookies, sooner.

    snowballs on baking tray

    Handle with care: Be gentle with this dough when rolling, as rough handling will develop the glutens and make for tough cookies.

    Rock n' roll: Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar once before baking and again after results in cookies with the just the right amount of creamy coating.

    close up of cocoa nib buckwheat snowballs

    These cookies are quite addictive; sophisticated, maybe not kid-friendly (which is fine by me as our only kid is a cat, and they don't have sweet receptors on their tongues). Jay says they taste like Nutella (the cookies, not cats), and he's right. Though there are no hazelnuts, buckwheat does have some hazelnutty notes which blend with the unprocessed chocolate beans. I love the robust and earthy flavors going on here. They make an ideal contrast with the sweet coating of powdered sugar, which turns to a creamy icing as it absorbs the moisture in the cookies. The ample measure of salt will keep you coming back for more, whether you like it or not.

    snowballs on a board

    I hope these inspire you to have a snowball fight of your own, though you may not want to throw (or give) any away.

    cocoa nib snowballs in a container

    More Buckwheat Recipes

    • Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Gluten-Free Banana Buckwheat Pancakes
    • Gluten-Free Buckwheat Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
    • Maple Blueberry Buckwheat Scones

    More Cocao Nib Recipes:

    • Cacao Nib Ice Cream
    • Gluten-Free Über Chocolate Cookies
    • Nibby Matcha Wafers
    • Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this buckwheat snowball recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

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    Buckwheat Cacao Nib Snowballs

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    These snowballs are delicious little bites of heaven!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 30 1" round cookies

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup all purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour (1 3/4 ounces)
    • 1/4 cup organic granulated cane sugar (2 ounces)
    • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 3/4 cup sliced almonds, fairly finely chopped into pieces no larger than 1/8" (2 3/4 ounces)
    • 1/4 cup cacao nibs, roughly chopped a little larger than the almonds
    • 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, in 1/2" dice (4 ounces)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (2 1/4 ounces)
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    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flours, granulated sugar, salt, chopped almonds and cacao nibs. Add the butter pieces, sprinkle the vanilla over the top, and work in with either a pastry blender, your fingertips, or the paddle on low speed until there are no more visible butter chunks, and the mixture begins to clump together. This will take a few minutes.
    • Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized shallow bowl.
    • Form 1 tablespoon of dough into a 1" ball (a #60 spring-loaded ice cream scoop works beautifully), and roll in powdered sugar, knocking any large clumps of sugar back into the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing the dough balls at least 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
    • Bake the cookies until they are cracked, slightly puffed, and light golden, 18 - 20 minutes. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet, then roll them a second time in the powdered sugar.
    • Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. I'm guessing they will keep well for up to a week or two, though I'm not sure I can keep my hand out of the cookie jar long enough to find out...

    Notes

    Adapted from the mother of all snowball recipes by Mary Doane.
    I used sliced almonds here, because they're easy to chop by hand, but I'd wager slivered or whole almonds would work just fine, too.
    If the rolled cookies lose their snowy looks after a day or two, just sift a little more powdered sugar over their tops.
    All ounce measurements are by weight.
    Nutritional values are based on one of thirty snowballs.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 79kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 39mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 95IUCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.3mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Buckwheat Cacao Nib Snowballs

    Adapted from the mother of all snowball recipes by Mary Doane

    I used sliced almonds here, because they're easy to chop by hand, but I'd wager slivered or whole almonds would work just fine, too. If the rolled cookies lose their snowy looks after a day or two, just sift a little more powdered sugar over their tops. All ounce measurements are by weight.

    Makes about 2 1/2 dozen 1" round cookies

    1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
    1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 3/4 ounces) buckwheat flour
    1/4 cup (2 ounces) organic granulated cane sugar
    1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
    3/4 cup (2 3/4 ounces) sliced almonds, fairly finely chopped into pieces no larger than 1/8"
    1/4 cup cacao nibs, roughly chopped a little larger than the almonds
    1 stick (4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, in 1/2" dice
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar

    Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flours, granulated sugar, salt, chopped almonds and cacao nibs. Add the butter pieces, sprinkle the vanilla over the top, and work in with either a pastry blender, your fingertips, or the paddle on low speed until there are no more visible butter chunks, and the mixture begins to clump together. This will take a few minutes.

    Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized shallow bowl.

    Form 1 tablespoon of dough into a 1" ball (a #60 spring-loaded ice cream scoop works beautifully), and roll in powdered sugar, knocking any large clumps of sugar back into the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing the dough balls at least 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet.

    Bake the cookies until they are cracked, slightly puffed, and light golden, 18 - 20 minutes. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet, then roll them a second time in the powdered sugar.

    Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. I'm guessing they will keep well for up to a week or two, though I'm not sure I can keep my hand out of the cookie jar long enough to find out...

    snowballs in container

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    the cover of the award-winning cookbook, Alternative Baker

    Hungry for more?

    Alternative Baker celebrates the unique tastes and textures of 14 gluten-free flours, from buckwheat flour to almond flour to sorghum and coconut! This cookbook will fill your kitchen with sweet treats that burst with flavor every month of the year.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe Cancel reply

      I love reading your comments, reviews, and questions! If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. These help people discover my recipes online. Thank you for your support and for being part of The Bojon Gourmet community!

      xo, Alanna

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    1. Angela @ Canned Time says

      December 15, 2012 at 1:45 pm

      I'd like to try these with Gluten free flours and see if they'll cook up the same. They look gorgeous!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 15, 2012 at 5:36 pm

        Please let us all know how they come out!

        Reply
    2. Monisha Mittal says

      December 17, 2012 at 3:13 am

      I thought about using a gluten free flour but decided against it based on how you emphasized the role of the gluten bonding with the butter. I would love to know if that works! I made these last night, and they were fantastic. In terms of substitutions I substituted millet flour for buckwheat because that is what I had, and did 50% coconut oil and 50% butter. I could have taken them out of the oven a few minutes earlier (because my over size is compact) but other than that, I felt full of delight putting these in a tin for our friends. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 18, 2012 at 3:51 am

        Hi Monisha, I'm so glad you liked the cookies, and that the substitutions worked out! I was wondering how coconut oil would work in these in place of butter, and millet flour sounds like a tasty twist. Thank you for your comment!

        I'm also curious how these would work gluten-free - I was thinking of trying them with oat flour or almond flour in place of the AP. They're not super crumbly, despite being low in flour, so it could work. Alice Medrich uses a little bit of cream cheese in her GF snowballs in Chewy, Gooey, Melt-in-your-mouth Cookies; that could be another thing to try.

        Please let us all know if you give them a GF go!

        Reply
    3. Nadia Nassim says

      December 17, 2012 at 1:13 pm

      nice,,,,

      why you do not try adding it to http://www.foodlve.com as photo link to get more traffic and reach more food lovers :)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 18, 2012 at 2:54 am

        Thanks, Nadia - that looks like a groovy site :)

        Reply
    4. Peggy G. says

      December 17, 2012 at 4:58 pm

      Snowballs are one of my favorite cookies! I happen to have some cocoa nibs that I've not known what to do with for quite some time - so looks like I better get busy!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 18, 2012 at 2:54 am

        Yay! Let us know how you like 'em.

        Reply
    5. Angie's Recipes says

      December 17, 2012 at 6:44 pm

      I need to get some cacao nibs to try this snowball recipe. They look divine!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 18, 2012 at 2:55 am

        Thanks! I hope you love them.

        Reply
    6. laurasmess.me says

      April 14, 2013 at 5:27 am

      Hello lovely Alanna... this recipe is gorgeous, so healthy and delicious (the best kind of food, methinks!). I've used it as inspiration for my own version of cacao nib balls, soon to be posted on my blog. Have added a link to you! Love your blog... can't wait to browse through the archives. Yum!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        April 14, 2013 at 5:41 pm

        Hi Laura! Thanks for the sweet note. So glad to have been an inspiration for your bliss balls - they look awesome! I love your site, too! Cheers, A

        Reply
    7. Debra says

      December 18, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      Hi , where the baking temperature ? I can't find this important detail anywhere in you recipe. Ugh!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 18, 2016 at 10:45 pm

        First line - 350ยบF.

        Reply

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    I'm Alanna, a recovering pastry chef and award-winning cookbook author. I love sharing well-tested, from-scratch recipes for your favorite desserts and sweet treats made (undetectably) gluten-free with alternative flours. Because everyone deserves to eat good food. Bojon appétit! About →

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