The Perfect Newfoundland Snowballs Recipe
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Send this recipe to my email.
Newfoundland Snowballs. The most searched for Newfoundland recipe on RockRecipes.com. Soft chocolate fudge balls with the goodness of oatmeal and coconut.
UPDATE: Here is a revisit of Newfoundland Snowballs, one of the most popular recipes ever featured on Rock Recipes and one of the earliest. This iconic Newfoundland treat is among the most searched Newfoundland recipes on the internet.
Many folks tell me this recipe is how they discovered my website in the first place.
This recipe came from my Nan, Belinda Morgan of Port-de-Grave, Newfoundland and has been made in our family for over 50 years.
I have sampled these all over the province and have never yet found any as good as her soft, fudgy version.
It is and will always be for me, the perfect and most authentic Newfoundland snowball recipe.
Originally Published on November 7, 2007.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas we will be featuring some family favourites for holiday baking. One of the most popular treats anytime but particularly at Christmas is the Snowball.
Newfoundland Snowballs, an iconic local recipe.
This recipe is virtually a Newfoundland icon. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who has spent any time in this province and has not sampled a Snowball.
More a confection than a cookie, a proper snowball should be soft, fudgy and slightly chewy. Many people find this recipe to be a bit of a challenge but if you follow the method closely and are precise in your measurements, you should have no problems.
Some crucial tips for success.
Key to the success of this recipe is the length of time that the base of the recipe is boiled. More precisely, it is the temperature that the mixture reaches when boiling that is critical.
Much akin to making fudge, you are looking for the mixture to reach soft ball stage or near soft ball stage on a candy thermometer. Use one if you have it but if not, the five minutes gentle boiling as directed in the recipe is a pretty dependable guideline.
It is also very important not to stir the mixture as it boils or you risk the sugar crystallizing and leaving you with a hard, crumbly finished product. I've added the two very short videos below to demonstrate what each stage of preparation will look like.
Don't worry, chill out!
Chilling the snowball mixture well is also very important. Many people start adding more coconut and/or oats to the recipe when they see how soupy the mixture is when it is hot. That is a mistake to be avoided.
Once chilled the mixture will be easy to scoop and roll into balls. This will take several hours or overnight as is mentioned in the recipe instructions below.
Looking for more Newfoundland inspired desserts?
Be sure to check out our Best Newfoundland Christmas Cookies Collection. They are definitely worth making at any time of year!
Like this Newfoundland Snowballs recipe?
You'll find over 200 more like it in our Cookies Category and if your looking for more traditional and traditionally inspired recipes browse our Newfoundland Recipes Category.
To keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes plus daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals, be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram.
You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You'll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly meals and desserts too!
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
The Perfect Newfoundland Snowballs Recipe
Newfoundland Snowballs - the most searched for Newfoundland recipe on RockRecipes.com. Soft chocolate fudge balls with the goodness of oatmeal and coconut. These freeze exceptionally well and my kids actually prefer to eat them frozen, just like I did as a child.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 3 cups large rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened fine coconut
- 12 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 ½ cups extra coconut extra coconut to roll the balls, approximately
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and milk. This mixture will foam up while boiling so a larger pot is recommended.)
- Boil together gently over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until mixture reaches about 225 -230 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (The 5 to 6 minutes cooking time is usually quite accurate for me but don't start timing it until the mixture is fully at a rolling boil and don't stir the mixture while it boils.) For the record, my latest batch took exactly 6 minutes at a rolling boil and it was perfect.
- Mix together the oats, 1 cup coconut and cocoa.
- Add the boiled mixture to the dry ingredients until well combined and chill well in the fridge, until mixture is able to be shaped into 1 ½ inch balls. The mixture will be quite soft and sloppy while it is still hot. It will not firm up until it is very well chilled.
- In updating this recipe I prepared a batch and let it cool down to almost room temperature before covering the bowl and refrigerating overnight. The next day, as can be seen in one of the photos above, the mixture was very easy to scoop and roll into balls.
- Roll the balls in additional coconut.
- Makes about 4 dozen. These should ALWAYS be stored in the fridge to maintain the soft yet slightly chewy texture. They tend to be too soft at room temperature.
- These freeze very well (my kids eat them frozen all the time, just like my siblings and I did as kids)
Notes
- To prevent your snowballs from hardening, (the sugar crystallizing) it is important not to take the mixture over the desired temperature. A heavy bottom pot is best, so as not to conduct the heat too quickly.
- Also, some people ask about a rolling boil. To me, that is a gentle boil, using only just enough heat to make the mixture slowly and constantly bubble and be foamy.
- Of course both your pot and your own stove have to be taken into consideration. While the recipe says medium heat, your stove/pot combination might need medium low for example to maintain a gentle boil.
- The most important thing is not to have the heat too high for YOUR specific equipment.
- The 2 hour total time for preparation is an estimate and includes chilling time before the snowballs are rolled in the coconut.
- It is not recommended to double this recipe, as the boiling time will not be long enough. You can use a candy thermometer though when doubling the recipe. Hope this was helpful, B.
Nutrition Information
Yield
48Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 129Saturated Fat 4gCholesterol 8mgSodium 30mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 1g
Help! I didn't get my snowballs rolled in time and now they won't stick together nor can I get the coconut to stick. Can this be fixed?
Sorry Shawna but I think you are in a do-over situation. I think it's possible that you may have overboiled the sugar butter milk mixture too
The best that I've had in a loooong time!! I made these today and they are chocolatly and chewy. Just as a snowball should be! I have tried many a snowball & snowball recipes over the years and this is at the top! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for giving all of the tips with your recipes. I think it is what makes the difference! Merry Christmas!
Thanks Michelle...this was my Grandmothers recipe and the only one I've ever tried or felt the need to! 😉 I stick with the best when I find it. Thanks for reading, Barry.
I am so thankful for your detailed directions! I made some snowballs tonight (without the benefit of my mom around) and used the recipe in her Newfie Cookie book. They came out without nearly enough chocolate and I made the mistake of stirring whilst boiling. I'll try again tomorrow.
However, her recipe has evaporated milk. Do you use regular milk? Thanks!
You can use either Lauren, I know my Nan always used good old Carnation evaporated in hers for years. Good luck with your next attempt.
Thanks so much for this recipie! I've been looking everywhere online for this one. I'm from NFLD and I didn't even think that it was a Newfoundlander thing. 🙂
I love the snow ball recipe i didnt get a chance to make this one yet ,but there are so many different ones i know im going to enjoy making these ...Carolyn
Hi Barry, Can I use minute oats instead of larger oats and margerin instead of butter? Thanks, Sharon
You can get away with margarine as long as it is not soft spreadable margarine in a tub. That is NEVER a good idea for any type of baking. I don't use minute oats at all. I find them too fine and they are more processed so they will soak up more moisture and the snowballs will be dry instead of fudgy.
Just wondering what type of milk I should be using? (skim, 1%, 2%, carnation, etc?)
Whole milk. You can use reconstituted carnation (1/2 water) if you like. Nan always did.
Just wondering how long typically should you leave them to cool? Do you put them in the fridge to cool? My boyfriend's family is from Newfoundland and he was searching and searching for a recipe that seemed right finally I type in authentic Newfoundland snowball, and BAM! There you were. Hope I get the cooling right! Thanks a bundle for posting 🙂
I do let them cool almost completely in the fridge before rolling them in balls.You kind of have to in order for them to hold together properly. Hope you enjoy them. Barry.
dang it.....i used .5% milk and they are not wanting to stay in a ball!! will they eventually stick together???