You won’t believe how easy this vegan air fryer snowball cookies is to bake. Made with pistachios and cranberries, they are the perfect Christmas cookies that take less than 30 minutes
“There is a snowball’s chance in hell that I will ever bake snowball cookies!”
That’s what I used to say!
Now, there is snowball in hell that is thriving!!
Today, I get to bring you an AMAZING snowball cookie recipe that is so very easy and perfect for the holiday season!
Tips for baking them
- This recipe makes 12 vegan snowball cookies. I used a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon to measure each snowball.
- Make sure you soften the butter to room temperature before you cream it. The softer it is, the easier it will be to whip.
- After you add the sugar, use a silicone spatula to mix it well. Using a blender or mixture will make the butter melt and you DON’T want that.
- I used 1 cup of all purpose flour in this recipe. For best results, add ¼ cup at a time. Incorporate a ¼ cup first with the butter and sugar. Once you have it mixed well, add the next ¼ cup and mix it up. Do it 4 times until you have all the flour mix and the consistency is dough like.
- If you have time, once you have made the balls, refrigerate for 15 minutes. It’s not necessary, but, it will make the snowballs much softer.
- Use air fryer safe paper in the air fryer basket. I very lightly buttered the top of the paper before putting the snowballs on it. This way, they didn’t stick to the paper when I removed them.
- Powdering the cookies twice is going to make them look and taste really delicious. The first powdering happens right out of the air fryer. Don’t wait for them to get cold. Powder them immediately out of the air fryer, then let them cool. When they have cooled for about 10 minutes, powder them again and serve!
- These vegan Christmas cookies can be baked in the oven too. Bake the snowballs in the oven at 325°F for 13minutes or until you start to see them brown on the outside.
Cookies are not the only dessert you can make in your air fryer. You must try these air fryer brownies because they taste so good. I have collected my favorite Air Fryer recipes in one place.
How do snowball cookies taste?
They are buttery, nutty, sweet and airy tasting cookies. Biting into one of these cranberry cookies is like biting into a little cloud which has a few nuts in it!
I made these air fryer snowball recipe using both vegan and non-vegan products. Both turned out equally well, so make them according to your preference.
For vegan powdered sugar, I recommend using Wholesome Organic’s Powdered Confectioners Sugar. It can be gotten from Amazon and Whole Foods.
What are they made of?
- Butter – Use dairy, non-dairy or plant-based butters for this recipe. I will recommend using regular butter because it’s free of artificial oils and seed oils.
- Powdered sugar – I highly recommend using powdered sugars made by Wholesome Organics Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar. They are fair trade, Vegan friendly, pesticide and herbicide free.
- All Purpose Flour – This is the best flour to use in the cookies. It’s easy to bake with because it’s a very light flour.
- Pistachio – It’s hard to find raw, unsalted pistachios! If you can find those, use that. But, if not, you can always use roasted and lightly salted pistachios. If you use raw, than you will need to add 1/8 tsp of salt to the all purpose flour. I added them whole, but you can grind them up too.
- Cranberries – I use dried cranberries in these snowball cookies and they were delicious! They add a little sweetness and texture to them.
If you need clarity on what is vegan and what what is not vegan friendly, consult my handy-dandy vegan guide.
Ask me questions
Can you bake with pistachios? Yes, you can easily bake with pistachios. They bake easily and retain their flavors and shape after being baked.
To make a cookie airy, make sure you cream the butter first for 2 minutes. Also, chilling the cookie dough for about 15 minutes will also make them airy.
“Folding” the cookie dough using a silicone spatula will also make the cookie airy. Instead of using a stand-alone mixture, use the spatula to fold in the butters, sugars and flour. This will incorporate “air” into the dough.
– Refrigerate these snowball cookies and they can last for 2 weeks.
– You can also freeze them and they will last for 6 months. Freeze them without powdering them at all. As soon as you remove them from the air fryer, let them cool to touch.
– Freeze them in a freezer friendly container and store them for up to six months.
– Remove them from the freezer and put them directly into a 250°F preheated oven. Do not thaw them!
– Once you have heated them for about 10-15 minutes, remove them and powder them using powdered sugar. Wait for them to cool down before powdering them one more time.
Yes, you can absolutely take these air fryer pistachio snowball cookies to a cookie swap. Since it’s made with just 5 ingredients, everyone can make it. Want even more easy cookie recipes? Try these easy 31 Christmas cookies with few ingredients.
– Scoop out 1 Tbsp worth of cookie dough in your hand
– Use gentle pressure to mold the scooped dough into the shape of a ball
– Make sure it’s smooth on the outside. If there are ingredients protruding outside, gently push them inside and cover with cookie dough.
– The outside of the snowball cookie should be all white.
How to bake these snowball cookies
- Place ½ cup softened butter in a glass bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream the butter for about 2 minutes, until it’s smooth
- Add 5 Tbsp powdered sugar and mix well using a silicone spatula.
- Mix until it’s lump-free and silky.
- Add ¼ cup of all purpose flour at a time. Mix it with the spatula until it’s completely incorporated with the butter and sugar.
- Continue until you have added 1 cup of all purpose flour.
- Add 1 Tbsp pistachio and 2 Tbsp cranberries to the dough
- Fold in the pistachio and cranberries to the dough. Optional: If you have time, refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes.
- Scoop out 1 Tbsp of dough into your hand and use gentle pressure to mold it into a ball. Make sure there are no cranberries or pistachios protruding out.
- Line the air fryer basket with air fryer safe paper and very lightly baste it with butter. Place the cookie balls in the basket. I made 12 pieces
- Replace the basket in your air fryer and set it to 340° F for 5 minutes
- Remove basket as soon as its done air frying.
- Powder the snowballs immediately, while they are still hot.
- Let them cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Then, powder them one more time before serving!
- They are now ready to serve!
Now that you have made your first air fryer cookies, why not try other recipes in this amazing gadget like making these awesome air fryer baked apples.
Want even more dessert recipes? I have collected my favorite vegan dessert recipes that are so easy to make.
Cookies to take to a cookie swap!
Do you do cookie swaps? I love doing those because I get to taste anazing cookies each year. This year, I got these delicious butterscocth chocolate chip cookies and they were DELICIOUS!
You can also bake one giant cookie and take that to any occasion.
Try these vegan cookies too because they are simply delicious.
Sharing is caring
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Air Fryer Snowball Cookies
Equipment
- COSORI Air Fryer
- hand mixier
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter dairy, non-dairy or plant-based butter
- 5 Tbsp powdered sugar I use Wholesome Organic's Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 Tbsp pistachios Raw pistachios, if possible. Otherwise, roasted and lightly salted
Instructions
- Place butter in a glass bowl and cream using hand mixer for about 2 minutes
- Add powdered sugar and mix well using a silicone spatula.
- Mix until it’s lump-free and silky.
- Add ¼ cup of all purpose flour at a time. Mix it with the spatula until it’s completely incorporated
- Continue until you have added all the flour.
- Add pistachio and cranberries to the dough
- Fold in the pistachio and cranberries to the dough
- Scoop out 1 Tbsp of dough into your hand and use gentle pressure to mold it into a ball
- Line the air fryer basket with air fryer safe paper and very lightly baste it with butter. Place the cookie balls in the basket. Makes 12
- Replace the basket in your air fryer and set it to 340° F and fry for 5 minutes
- Remove basket as soon as its done air frying.
- Powder the snowballs immediately, while they are still hot.
- Let them cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Then, powder them one more time before serving!
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 vegan snowball cookies. I used a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon to measure each snowball.
- Make sure you soften the butter to room temperature before you cream it. The softer it is, the easier it will be to whip.
- After you add the sugar, use a silicone spatula to mix it well. Using a blender or mixture will make the butter melt and you DON’T want that.
- I used 1 cup of all purpose flour in this recipe. For best results, add ¼ cup at a time. Incorporate a ¼ cup first with the butter and sugar. Once you have it mixed well, add the next ¼ cup and mix it up. Do it 4 times until you have all the flour mix and the consistency is dough like.
- If you have time, once you have made the balls, refrigerate for 15 minutes. It’s not necessary, but, it will make the snowballs much softer.
- Use air fryer safe paper to put in the basket. I very lightly buttered the top of the paper before putting the snowballs on it. This way, the cookies will not stick to the paper.
- Powdering the cookies twice is going to make them look and taste really delicious. The first powdering happens right out of the air fryer. Don’t wait for them to get cold. Powder them immediately out of the air fryer, then let them cool. When they have cooled for about 10 minutes, powder them again and serve!
- These vegan Christmas cookies can be baked in the oven too. Bake the snowballs in the oven at 325°F for 13minutes or until you start to see them brown on the outside
I recently baked these snowball cookies, and they turned out so delicious! The cranberries and pistachios elevated the flavor. Plus, it was kid-approved! I would definitely make this again!
Thank you, Janice.
What cute cookies! These snowball cookies were a hit at my weekend coffee hangout with my friends. They were nice and sweet and the cranberries added a nice texture. I can’t wait to make them again.
Thank you, Andrea
These are the best little cookies for Christmas-time! I loved the pure white balls – the double shot of powdered sugar is a great tip and the pop of red from the cranberries is on point for Christmas colors.
Thank you, Gloria
This was my first time making a dessert in my air fryer and I’m delighted at how easy it was and how well they turned out. I’ll definitely be using the air fryer method to make snowball cookies this December!
So happy to hear that, thank you Addie
I just got an air fryer and had to try these out! They were wonderful and your tips were super helpful. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Thank you, Lovisa. Glad you liked it.
Baking in an air fryer? Really? That’s insane! That makes it a perfect recipe to try air fryer baking. Thanks for the discovery!
Thank you, Naiby. 🙂
I love snowball cookies and the bits of dried cranberries are a wonderfully festive touch. I’ll be making these all winter to be honest…and I love that you included a vegan variation to try too!
You are very kind, thank you Tammy
I have got to try out these snowball cookies in my air fryer. I love any excuse to use it but these cookies look too good to resist!
Thank you, Tristin
It never would have occurred to me that you could make snowballs in an air fryer – so cool!!! I love the addition of cranberries as they are not only tasty but festive. So impressed!!
Thank you, Jessica
those snowball cookies came out amazing in my air fryer! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you, Dennis
These are one of my favorite cookies! I made them yesterday and they came out amazing!
That is so nice to hear! Thank you, Veronika
The things you can make in an air fryer are completely mind blowing! We had to try these snowball cookies and they came out amazing!
Right? I am so happy that I invested in the air fryer. I have gotten so much out of it. Thank you, Lauren.
I can’t believe how easy these air fryer snowballs were! I got an air fryer for Christmas and am trying out all the recipes! I would never have thought I could make cookies in the air fryer!
Thank you, Kayla
Oh these look delicious! I love that you can make them in the air fryer! Those air fryers – one can make just about anything in them!
Thank you, Liz
I never thought I’d see the day where I would be baking snowballs in the air fryer, but here it is and I’m so down with it. I loved the addition of the pistachios (my favorite nut) and cranberries.
Thank you, Marta