Coconut Cake Snowballs

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published Dec. 1, 2025

Coconut Cake Snowballs
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours’ freezing and cooling
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes, plus 2 hours’ freezing and cooling
Rating
4(16)
Comments
Read comments

These holiday cookies take all the best parts of a towering coconut cake — the buttery, yellow cake and billowy cream cheese frosting — and shrink them down to the cutest tiny treat. Sweetened shredded coconut and unrefined coconut oil (for the most coconutty essence) in the dough is the source of their signature flavor, while a finish in glaze and more shredded coconut — tinted in whatever color you like — gives them their bright flourish. If you’re tight on time, though, skip the frosting and drizzle the cookies with some melted chocolate or toss them in powdered sugar to finish. They'll still look like they're ready to party.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 40 cookies

    For the Cookies

    • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup/64 grams toasted sweetened, shredded coconut
    • ¾ cup/72 grams almond flour
    • ¾ cup/87 grams powdered sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • ¾ cup/170 grams salted butter, preferably European, cut into pieces and at room temperature
    • ¼ cup/57 grams unrefined coconut oil, softened
    • 1tablespoon vanilla extract

    For the Topping

    • 3cups/255 grams sweetened, shredded coconut (untoasted)
    • 2 to 3drops gel food coloring
    • 4ounces/113 grams full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 3cups/369 grams powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 1tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 6tablespoons/90 grams whole milk
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (40 servings)

187 calories; 12 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 91 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the cookies: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, coconut, almond flour, powdered sugar and salt, and process until it's well mixed and the coconut is finely ground, about 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Add the butter, coconut oil and vanilla, and process until a dough forms, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Portion the dough into 1-tablespoon/15-gram scoops and roll into balls. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and wrap well with plastic. Freeze the balls until firm, at least 1 hour.

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the frozen balls onto the prepared sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans on the oven racks halfway through, until they are golden brown and set, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the sheets to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining frozen dough, if necessary.

  5. Step 5

    While cookies cool, prepare the topping: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the coconut and the food coloring. (You can also do this in batches, dyeing the coconut in multiple colors.) Pulse until the coconut is finely ground and the color is evenly dispersed. Transfer the coconut to a small bowl.

  6. Step 6

    Prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and salt until smooth, scraping after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in the whole milk.

  7. Step 7

    To finish the cookies, dip each into the glaze, dome side down, and shake off the excess glaze. Immediately dip the glazed side into the colored coconut. Set the cookies on a large plate, flat side down, and wait for glaze to set before serving, about 1 hour. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge. (Baked, unglazed cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

Tip
  • For a nice, even coating on your cookies, dry out the coconut on a sheet pan for at least 6 hours, then proceed with Step 5.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
16 user ratings
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Comments

Ryan

I'm struggling to see how a cream cheese frosting that needs to be refrigerated fits into the larger context of cookie exchanges that Cookie Week usually promotes. Does anyone have a sense of how long these cookies can safely sit at room temperature?

416Baker

@exMDer in the intro the author mentions to use unrefined coconut oil for the coconut essence. As for the cream cheese, low fat will thinner than regular, it may not set properly.

Lisa

@Ryan yes! Exactly the question I just popped into the chat to pose.. wondering if I should just make the base???

Bette Sullivan

Regarding cream cheese icing and refrigeration: All stores like Safeway, Kroger, and Walmart sell cinnamon rolls and various layer cakes (carrot, red velvet) with cream cheese icing on shelves at room temperature. They can do this because the ratio of sugar to dairy is so high that food-borne pathogens will not grow in that concentration. I don't refrigerate because I don't like the resulting texture of baked goods that have been chilled. In 60+ years of baking, I have yet to make anyone ill.

Allyson

Great recipe and delicious cookie. I followed the recipe as instructed and found no issues at all. For coconut flavor lovers, this is definitely one to add as part of the rotation.

SQ

These are so yummy and pretty! I watched Samantha's video before I began and these cookies are fun to make. I didn't have coconut oil so I just used regular canola oil. I didn't toast the coconut either and she says it is really up to you. It's such an easy dough. I have eaten a bunch already as I put them on the plate.

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