Snowball Coconut Macaroons
Snowball cookies, dusted with powdered sugar to give them their wintry appearance, are a popular holiday treat, ideal for cookie swaps and a great gift to give to friends, neighbors or teachers…or yourself. We love them in my house! Macaroons are another delicious dessert; they balance sweet and chewy and feature a crisp outside with a soft inside. We love these treats, too, LOL.
Being that I’m a huge fan of both, I created a recipe that marries the two—buttery snowball cookies with coconut-y macaroons. The end result is a chewy, moist, rich and completely indulgent delight. Crazy delish.
NOTE: The extra 2 tablespoons of baking flour may seem unimportant, but it’s actually key to giving the almond flour-based batter the structure it needs for a sturdier cookie-like consistency—so don’t leave it out! Because macaroons are naturally gluten free, I typically make them with gluten-free flour. (If you’re following a gluten-free diet, use GF all-purpose baking flour; if you’re not, regular all-purpose flour will work just fine.) If you’d like to skip the almond flour altogether, check the notes section for simple instructions for swapping in regular flour.
One last thing: If you’d like to give these cookies a truly decadent finish, once they’re cooked and cooled, you can melt and drizzle dark chocolate chips over the tops…or simply submerge the cookie bottoms in the melted chocolate, place back on parchment paper and refrigerate until the chocolate firms. Guys, with or without the chocolate finish, these cookies are soooo GOOD!
Try my Breakfast Coffee Cookies.
Snowball Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups superfine, blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose baking flour (use gluten-free or regular)
- 1½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes, divided (¾ for cookie batter; ¾ cup for outside cookie coating)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, blend the softened butter with the honey until completely creamed. If your butter isn’t completely softened, microwave for 15 to 30 seconds to get it nice and mushy. You can mix by hand or by using a stand mixer.
- Add the extracts, egg, and applesauce. Mix until combined. Add the almond flour, gluten-free baking flour, ¾ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well incorporated into a wet and sticky batter. (If your batter feels too wet and fussy to work with, stash in the fridge for about 1 hour to firm it up.)
- Add ¾ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes to a shallow bowl. (*For a sweeter cookie, use “sweetened” coconut flakes for the outside finish. Do not use sweetened for the inside batter or it will affect the texture).
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon worth, using your fingers, a measuring tablespoon or small cookie scooper, and place it directly into the coconut flakes. Roll gently to coat evenly and form it into a ball, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. (I fit about 15 cookies per baking sheet.
- While they won’t spread all that much in the oven, you still want them spaced evenly apart on the sheet.). Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the outside coconut starts to lightly brown and crisp. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes to set. See storage tips below!
Notes
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3–4 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps them fresh for up to 1 week. They’ll firm up slightly, but stay wonderfully chewy.
- Freezer: Freeze for 2–3 months. Layer with parchment so they don’t stick together. To serve, let them sit on the counter for 20–30 minutes… or enjoy them cold (they’re surprisingly delicious straight from the freezer!).
This sounds so good, but I’m allergic to almonds…. Can I use an all purpose flour or something else? Thank you for all your yummy recipes!!!
Happy Holidays!
Hi Susan, happy holidays to you, too! I haven’t tested using all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour), but I’m planning to do so in the next two weeks and will report back! In the meantime, I do think it will work well with all-purpose flour, with a few small changes. Since there is a difference in texture between almond flour and all-purpose flour, you’ll need to decrease the all-purpose flour: I suggest starting with a total of 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (instead of the combined 2 cups almond flour + 2 Tbsp flour) and adding a bit more flour if the batter seems to wet. On the other hand, if the batter feels too dry and crumbly, add a bit more applesauce to moisten it up, just one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a batter-like texture. Hoping this helps and your cookies are delicious. Please report back — and I’ll do the same!
I haven’t made these yet, but they sound delicious.
If I am not gf, can I use all regular flour ?
by leaving out the almond flour) .
Hi Connie, I haven’t tested using all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour), but I’m planning to do so in the next two weeks and will report back with my results! I am pretty sure it will work well. If you’d like to try on your own, here is what I suggest: Since there is a difference in texture between almond flour and all-purpose flour, you’ll need to decrease the all-purpose flour: I suggest starting with a total of 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (instead of the combined 2 cups almond flour + 2 Tbsp flour) and adding a bit more flour if the batter seems to wet. On the other hand, if the batter feels too dry and crumbly, add a bit more applesauce to moisten it up, just one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a batter-like texture. Hoping they turn out perfectly delicious!
Is the serving size 1 or 2 cookies?
Hi Karen. Thanks for your question! The serving size is 1 cookie. We’ve added the information to the recipe page. We hope you love them as much as we do!
—Team Joy
As soon as I saw this, I was anxious to give it a try! Then I saw it has 100 calories per cookie. Is this true???
Hi Karen. Most traditional snowball cookie recipes tend to be higher in calories, saturated fat, carbs and sugar. While these aren’t low-calorie, Joy worked to lighten them up just a bit—all while keeping that same indulgent experience we crave. This one was a tricky balance! If you decide to give them a shot, we’d love to hear your thoughts!
—Team Joy
I want to swap out the almond flour altogether and just use all-purpose flour. Do I still need to add the extra 2 tablespoons of ap flour to the recipe or is the extra flour just needed if using almond flour?
Hi Donna! I haven’t experimented with using 100% all-purpose flour yet, but think it will work well. I’m planning to test this swap in the next two weeks… and will report back! If you try the all-purpose flour on your end before I report back, here is what I recommend: Since there is a difference in texture between almond flour and standard flours, you’ll need to decrease the all-purpose flour. I suggest starting with a total of 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (instead of the combined 2 cups almond flour + 2 Tbsp flour) and adding a bit more flour if the batter seems to wet. On the other hand, if the batter feels too dry and crumbly, add a bit more applesauce to moisten it up, just one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a batter-like texture. Hoping you have great success with your batch — let me know!!
Can this be made with a non-dairy “butter”, such as Earth Balance?
Hi Amy! Joy hasn’t tried this yet…but yes, in theory, it should work! Just use the same amount (6 tablespoons). One quick tip: choose a brand that comes in stick form rather than a soft tub! If you give it a shot, please let us know how it turns out!— Eliza (Team Joy)
They came out absolutely delicious – crispy on outside, soft and chewy on the inside! They were a hit with my coconut-loving family!
Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so thrilled you and your (coconut-loving) family loved these cookies! Thanks for sharing this wonderful review, Amy!
Joy, my daughter is dairy free. May I substitute an equal amount of a stick of dairy free margarine?
Hi Debbie! Joy hasn’t tested this out, but in theory, it should work! You should be able to swap in a dairy-free margarine or vegan butter for the regular butter. Just use the same amount (6 tablespoons). One quick tip: choose a brand that comes in stick form rather than a soft tub, since the sticks tend to have a firmer consistency and behave more like real butter in baking. If you give it a shot, please let us know how it turns out! — Eliza (Team Joy)
How to store these?
Hi Kathi! Once these cookies are baked, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days, or pop them in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze beautifully for a few months. I hope you love them as much as we do!