Lemon Snowball Cookies from cake mix are soft, buttery cookies rolled in powdered sugar -- twice, for good measure. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are fast and easy to make and perfect for your holiday cookie trays or a sweet treat anytime.
Lemon lovers, try Lemon Cutout Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing next!
I'm making these lemon snowball cookies for Easter this year. I thought about going with the traditional snowball cookies, but they felt a little too much like Christmas cookies. So I grabbed a box of lemon cake mix and turned it into this bright, zesty lemon snowball cookie recipe instead.
They're soft, not too sweet, and the pecans give them that classic snowball cookie flavor and texture.
🍓Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Lemon cake mix. I have tested these with 13.25 Betty Crocker and 15.25 oz. Duncan Hines boxes of cake mix, and both work well, though I prefer the Duncan Hines.
- All-purpose flour. Adding a little flour to the cake mix helps keep the cookies from spreading.
- Egg and egg yolk. The egg yolk adds richness without causing the cookies to spread.
- Almond extract. This is optional, but adds lovely flavor. Start small, a little goes a long way.
- Pecans, optional. Nuts add texture and savory flavor. Use any kind of nuts you like, and chop them finely or into larger pieces.
🥕Variations
- Cake mix. Switch it up and use any flavor of cake mix like yellow, strawberry, or chocolate.
- Lemon flavor. Make them even more lemony by adding fresh lemon zest or lemon extract.
🥣How to Make Lemon Snowball Cookies
Step 1. Make the cookie dough. Whisk the cake mix and flour together. Add the melted butter, egg, egg yolk, pecans, vanilla, and almond extracts. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until it forms a thick dough. Knead together with your hands, if needed.
Step 2. Bake the cookies. Scoop cookie dough into 1-tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes until the bottoms are just barely a light golden brown. Do not overbake.
Step 3. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the pan. While they are still warm, but firm enough and cool enough to handle, roll them in powdered sugar. Transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet and cool completely.
Step 4. Roll the cooled cookies in powdered sugar a second time. Enjoy!
👉Top Tip: Cover the dough between batches to keep it from drying out. If it feels too dry, add a few drops of water or milk.
☑️Tips
- Cool the butter slightly so it doesn't cook the eggs in the batter.
- Be careful not to overbake or the cookies will be dry.
- Add the first coating of powdered sugar while the cookies are still warm, to help it adhere.
🎁Storage
Store lemon pecan snowball cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax or parchment paper at room temperature for up to 1 week.
🧊Freezing
- Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Or freeze shaped dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
- Freeze cooled cookies coated in powdered sugar in a freezer-safe bag. Roll in powdered sugar again after thawing, if needed.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Snowball Cookies (Easy Cake Mix Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans, optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cake mix and flour together to remove lumps. Add the melted butter, egg, egg yolk, pecans, vanilla and almond extracts. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until it forms a soft dough. If needed, gently knead it with your hands just until it comes together.
- Scoop the dough into 1-tablespoon portions and roll them into balls. Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes until the edges are set, and the bottoms are just barely light brown. Do not overbake.
- Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet (for easy cleanup) and cool completely, then roll in powdered sugar again.
Notes
- Cool the butter slightly so it doesn't cook the eggs in the batter.
- Be careful not to overbake or the cookies will be dry.
- Add the first coating of powdered sugar while the cookies are still warm, to help it adhere.
- Cover the dough between batches to keep it from drying out. If it feels too dry, add a few drops of water or milk.
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