Traditional Newfoundland Snowballs, it wouldn’t be a holiday without them. A no bake coconut chocolate treat that freezes great. For as long as I can remember these Snowballs have been on every single Christmas cookie platter. Delicious little chocolate coconut bites that are no bake which makes them very easy!
This week I’ve been taking part in a virtual cookie exchange hosted by one of my blogging friends, Norine. She is the home cook extraordinaire! I can’t tell how how many pies, cakes and cookies she has on her site. So, if you are into sweets and looking to do some baking over the coming weeks, check her out at Norine’s Nest!
There are other bloggers participating as well and each day someone shares a cookie recipe. And today is my turn. I can’t think of a better cookie to share than these traditional Newfoundland Snowballs.
What Makes Snowballs So Great
Growing up we didn’t only have these during Christmas, but that is how I remember them the most. On those icy days in December coming in from school and digging into the ice cream tub in the freezer to fish one out. They were always stored in old ice cream tubs. Never Tupperware boxes, fancy freezer bags, or over priced airtight containers that promised no freezer burn. No, just this, just an old ice cream tub and it always worked a treat. And you know what? I think I always ate them frozen and kind of prefer them this way. Even Oliver, my son, likes them frozen. Must be something in the genes. That or we lack patience for them to defrost!
So what makes these cookies so great? Ummm, they have chocolate so that’s always a good starting point. To be honest, they are just chocolate, coconut and oats and they are just delicious. I only ever make them at Christmas time but can’t remember a single Christmas without them.
This is a recipe my sister gave me years ago and I’ve been making them each year ever since I got my hand on that recipe. But like a lot of things, I think they are best when she makes them. In fact, I prefer pretty much everything made by someone else. Tell me I’m not alone in not always wanting to eat my own food? Hahahaha! As much as I love to cook for my family, there are more times than I can count that by the time dinner is served, I’m sick of looking at it and make a sandwich. True story! I know some of you out there can relate, right?
Okay, let’s look at the cookies.
Notes about the snowballs
- Type of oats – You can use old fashioned oats, any kind of rolled oats or steel cut oats. But avoid instant oats.
- Coconut – I used unsweetened fine coconut for these snowballs. Fine coconut works best.
- Evaporated milk – Avoid using whole milk, semi skimmed or skim milk for these snowballs. Evaporated milk works best.
- Make sure to boil the mixture for the time stated – This is important to get the correct consistency in the snowballs. It will be syrupy when it’s ready. This could take between 5 – 6 minutes.
- Consistency of the batter before chilling – It will be almost soupy like. This is exactly what the consistency is supposed to be like. It will firm up in the fridge.
- Chill time – Chill time stated in the recipe is for one hour. It will still be somewhat soft at this point, but you will be able to roll the balls. You can make it the evening before and roll them the next day.
- Storage – You have to store these in the fridge. They also freeze great too.
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Newfoundland Snowballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 1 Cup evaporated milk
- 1 Cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 Cup cocoa powder
- 2 Cups rolled oats
- 2 Cups unsweetened coconut * plus more for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the evaporated milk and sugar. Stir until combined and bring to a slow boil. Add cocoa powder and continue to stir and simmer until you have a syrup like consistency. This will probably take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
- In a large bowl combine the oats with the coconut. Stir to combine.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the oats and coconut. Stir well to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Remove cookie dough from fridge once it's set. Scoop out the cookie dough with a tablespoon and form them into little balls. Continue until you have used all the dough.
- Pour extra coconut onto a large plate. Roll all the balls in the coconut.
- Place in an airtight container and put in the fridge to set for about an hour.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
- Type of oats – You can use old fashioned oats, any kind of rolled oats or steel cut oats. But avoid instant oats.
- Coconut – I used unsweetened fine coconut for these snowballs. Fine coconut works best.
- Evaporated milk – Avoid using whole milk, semi skimmed or skim milk for these snowballs. Evaporated milk works best.
- Make sure to boil the mixture for the time stated – This is important to get the correct consistency in the snowballs. It will be syrupy when it’s ready. This could take between 5 – 6 minutes.
- Consistency of the batter before chilling – It will be almost soupy like. This is exactly what the consistency is supposed to be like. It will firm up in the fridge.
- Chill time – Chill time stated in the recipe is for one hour. It will still be somewhat soft at this point, but you will be able to roll the balls. You can make it the evening before and roll them the next day.
- Storage – You have to store these in the fridge. They also freeze great too.
Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!
Not used to using oats. Got rolled oats and it says they cook in 90 seconds . Does that make them instant. They don’t hold together with the mixture??
I’ve only used large rolled oats for this recipe. I think the oats you have must be instant if they cook in 90 seconds. Instant rolled oats are smaller so I’m not sure what the consistency could be. This mixture will be really sloppy until refrigerated. I hope this helps.
I have been making a version of these cookies for about 60 years. I have used both old fashioned oats and quick cooking oats and both work. Might need to use a little extra of the quick cooking kind, but those oats make a more delicate snowball – the oats are less obvious.
I add a cup of miniature marshmallows and some rum flavoring to the hot mixture at the end of cooking, after removing it from the heat. The marshmallows really help the cookies hold together and I think makes them easier to work with. And I add in a cup of finely chopped walnuts with the dry ingredients at the end.
I am about to experiment with making them with cashew milk and plant butter (we used to call that margarine when I was young – lol) to bring them to a dairy free cookie exchange in a part of the world where they have never heard of Newfoundland snowballs! I’m thinking they’ll be a hit!
Hi Patricia, I really like the different variations you make. The mini marshmallows sound like a great addition, I’m going to have to try that out sometime for sure. Yes, plant butter….lol! We called it margarine growing up too. We usually had Eversweet at our house. I think your Newfoundland Snowballs will be hit for sure!
Is the coconut sweetened in this recipe? Looks yummy!!
Hi Terri it’s unsweetened coconut, sorry for the late reply. I missed this one in the inbox. Going to put it in the recipe card. Thank you!
My mom always made these when we were kids, especially at Christmas. It’s been awhile since I’ve made them. Bought all the ingredients to make them for Christmas, but haven’t got around to it yet. I was scrolling through the site. And saw Newfoundland snowballs. Thanks for posting these, brought back some memories. I just love them.
We always had them growing up too. I still make them every Christmas. Those memories are the best. Happy New Year!!