The Perfect Newfoundland Snowballs Recipe
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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!
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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.
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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
Are they crumbly and falling apart? If so, start over. 🙁
Hey great recipe! Made them this Christmas in my gift tins amongst some other goodies and boy were the snowballs by far the biggest hit! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I was wondering if you might have heard of strawberry snowballs?? My mother in-law used to make them for my husband but they have lost contact many years ago anywho if you had heard of these and might have any idea what I could use to make them that would be amazing my husband is longing for (another) taste of his childhood. Thank you once again for posting this recipe.
Strawberry Snowballs sound great. Never heard of those but if you track down the recipe let us know.
Hey Colleen I would think that you could make a strawberry ganache. So it would be more like a strawberry truffle. A traditional ganache is just boiled whole cream, butter, sugar, and chocolate. You put it in the fridge, form balls and roll them in what you want or dip in chocolate and you have a truffle. So you could boil cream, sugar, butter, and a bit or strawberry puree. Put it in the fridge and then form balls and roll in coconut.
I had to go back up and look at the date
Snowballs chance in August had me laughing!
Just wondering if you start timing the 5 minutes after it starts to boil or as soon as you put the pot on the heat?
The timing starts when it begins to boil.
Hey Barry!! Have been making those for years, or a reasonable facsimile thereof! lol (They dry, crumbly ones).....Anyway, today I made YOUR recipe!!!
They are DELISH!!!! I had to hide them from myself in the freezer...yep, good luck with THAT one, Lucy! lol
Thanks again...congrats on winning with the "Banoffee Pie" you made, and now I'm getting in the mood to do my Christmas baking...or getting a start on it!
SOO proud of you, you wonderful Newfie, you!!
BTW, also posted your link on my B&B Page!!!! People from all over check it, so wanted them to have some Newfie recipes!!
no such thing as a bad snowball. it is all about personal taste. i like the dry snowballs as do everyone i have ever served them. congrats. on big win and yes i did vote for you!
My all time favorite growing up. I make them every christmas, making some right now as we sit here. We use to call them snowballs or mudballs!
Well My favourite treat come christmas. Love making them and especially eating them. Never make it to the freezer. They are soooooo...... good. Can't wait to make a batch!! Recipe helps me this year so they turn out perfectly.
Cheeky!!
I'm having a really difficult time making these. I followed the measurements and instructions, I got the snowballs rolled into balls and coconut but they are not firm ( when i pick them up they are still a bit squishy, soft and a little difficult to eat) Ive been keeping them in the refrigerator. Did i do something wrong?
Besides for that the mixture for the snowballs is super yummy and fudgey ^_^
I chill the mixture before rolling, which is easier and I always store them in the fridge (or freezer, my kids eat them frozen all the time) It sounds like you are close to right for this recipe. You may want to boil the mix for another minute or two to see if that helps or you can always add a little extra oatmeal.
12 Tablespoons of cocoa? is this correct?
great recipe easier to add 3/4 cp of cocoa 😉
according to my grandmother!