Sugar-Free Snowball Christmas Cookies
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Sugar-Free Snowball Christmas Cookies are sugar-free and delicious. They are soft, shortbread-like cookies made with almond flour and sweetened with erythritol. Good thing you’re only 20 minutes away from curing your sweet tooth!
It’s holiday season, and I’m celebrating with a batch of my favorite almond flour shortbread cookies—only this year, they’re getting a little makeover. These are the kind of cookies that feel special enough for Christmas but are simple enough to make on a cozy afternoon at home.
They’re soft, buttery, and truly melt-in-your-mouth, just like classic shortbread. The sweetness is perfectly balanced (not too much, not too little), and since they’re sugar-free, I never feel bad reaching for an extra one… or three. The whole recipe comes together in one bowl with one spoon and a single baking tray, which is exactly how I like my holiday baking.
And can we talk about how cute they are? That little cranberry on top makes them look like tiny Christmas ornaments. Festive, easy, and delicious—these cookies are officially on repeat all season long.
These Christmas cookies are straightforward to make. But there are a few tips to ensure they turn out perfectly.
- Use well-softened butter. As soon as I start thinking about cookies, I take the butter out of the fridge. It needs several hours at room temperature to get very soft. If you’re in a rush, cut the required amount (½ cup) into small pieces. The small pieces will soften much faster than a brick of butter.
- Use fine almond flour. For the best texture, avoid almond meal. It’s more coarse and will result in denser cookies.
- Dust the cookies with powdered erythritol while they’re still slightly warm. It will stick better if they’re warm.
- Have patience. These cookies taste underdone when warm. They’re better if you wait for them to cool.
So do we! We make refined sugar-free cookies regularly. These are our favorites:
- Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chunky Monkey Paleo Banana Cookies
- Chocolate Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Cranberry Coconut Macaroons
Sugar-Free Snowball Christmas Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup powdered erythritol (plus more for dusting)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 26 dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the almond flour, powdered erythritol, and sea salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the softened butter and vanilla and mix until a soft dough forms.2 ½ cups almond flour, ½ cup powdered erythritol, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Using a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough and roll it into 26 balls. Place them on 2 baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then let them cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. Dust with a little extra powdered erythritol (a fine-mesh sieve works well for this) and top each one with a dried cranberry.26 dried cranberries
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I’ve made this recipe in the past and it’s incredible. This year I tried something different and it too was awesome. I substituted 1/2 c of the almond flour with bamboo and added 1 extra T butter. I also added 1/2 T mahaleb and 1/2 t cinnamon. Nom nom nom
There wasn’t much flavor, seems like something’s missing, citrus or nuts may help? We will not make again.
May I substitute coconut oil for the butter? I’m dairy free..
I haven’t tried coconut oil and I’m fairly certain that it wouldn’t work well. Your best bet would be to try a dairy-free butter alternative.
Thank you so much for this cookie recipe. I made them for my neighbors who are diabetic and realized they were also perfect for my granddaughter (wheat allergy) and grandson (egg allergy).
I used powdered Truvia instead of erythritol because none of the four grocery stores near me carry it. Also, I had read that some people had trouble with the cranberries staying on the cookie. I made a paste from the powder Truvia (about 1Tlbs) and a few drops of water. I dipped the back of each cranberry in the paste before putting it on the cookie. It worked great! Thanks again!
I could not find powder erythritol. Can I use truvia as a substitute?
As long as it’s powdered it should work!
I made these but I chopped cranberries and placed them in the center of the cookie so they didn’t fall off. The only problem I had is that the powdered erythritol didn’t stick to the cookies. They taste great though and make a nice addition to the cookie tray.
Great idea about hiding the cranberries inside!
Hi, should I store them at room temp or in the fridge? Thanks for the recipe!
At room temp!
Hi Kristen why does your cranberrie on top od your snow ball biscuits looks bigger and like jam? Can you please reply, thanks
Not sure – it’s definitely a dried cranberry. 🙂