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!
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.
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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
we always called them mudballs when i grew up but mostly now I hear them called snowballs
As with many old fashioned recipes, the names vary a lot I find, especially geographically. I just call them delicious!
i made these today , I left them in the fridge for about 3 hours and then rolled them and covered in coconut , they are still really soft ! If I put them back in the fridge will they get alittle firmer ?
They should be stored in the fridge. They do get firmer when completely chilled.
I've seen these pink and other colours?? How do you do this??
I think you're talking about a completely different recipe.
Made these today, mine won't firm. Up either.
Try adding on a couple of minutes to the cooking time or use a candy thermometer.
Best snowball recipe of life!
You know it Shelly. Nan Morgan had it down!
I'm not from Newfoundland and neither is my husband, but since we love the chocolate/coconut combination, I tried this recipe yesterday and it is a new favourite! It's so easy and delicious. Definitely adding them to my Christmas cookie list!!! Thanks again Barry!!
Oh The memories of these bad boys!
So excited to make them as I'm crazy homesick after not being home for almost 5 years for Christmas.
The sad problems of moving to Ontario from Stephenville.
Best snowballs of my life
Mine too! So glad you liked them.
My Daughter in law is from Newfoundland now living here in the states. She talks about missing the snowballs and I decided to surprise her when we went to their house for Christmas. I am making them tonight. Wish me luck. never having tasted a snowball I'm not sure what I'm looking for in the results, but am going to try to make them as you describe. I hope she loves them . she is the best Daughter in law and I want to do something nice for her.
My husband hates coconut. what else could I roll them in??
Ground nuts?
Fantastic! I made these for the first time, ever! And it was perfect!!! Now, boiling over I just lifted the pot a bit till it settled. They did harden after a couple of hours, exactly like you said they would. I did though leave it in the fridge overnight. Cause after taking my son to hockey and baking non stop all day, I was drained. Never slept thinking OMG, what have I done? Next day, rolled them in coconut! Put them back in. A true beauty, thumbs up all around! I will add this to my sons cookbook from me! Nanny came today, said she hasn't tasted this way in a long time, brought back beautiful memories! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them. I've often chilled them overnight. If they have been cooked correctly, that's not a problem.
Darnit! I printed the recipe but didn't read the story beforehand and I mixed the butter/sugar/milk the whole time it was boiling... now my mix is too soft to form into balls (in fridge for about an hour)... I guess it goes into a pan and maybe the freezer?
Hope it worked out for you. They would need longer than an hour to chill.
A+. These were the very best I've tried, and I've tried many. My 3 yo helped and had a great time, she kept dipping into the mixture to see if it was cooled aswell as rolling the snowballs in coconut.
Are these snowballs chewy? they're not dry and sugary are they? Thinking about making these tomorrow.
The answer to that question is already well established in the recipe post.
I asked this question earlier,but didnt seem to work, forgive me if it repeats. I as wondering if anyone used splenda instead of sugar.and how they turned out, Thanks:)
There's way too much sugar in this o consider a substitute and making fudge relies on the priorities of real sugar to work properly. I also would not be boiling a chemical sugar substitute.
HI i have made this recipe many times and have used no name diet sugar plus a cup of sugar and did the boiling in the microwave worked perfect everyone loves them
I'm not sure I know what diet sugar is.
Hi Barry, did you ever find out what diet sugar is? I'm reluctant to use 3 cups of sugar, but if it's the only way to guarantee your perfect results, I'll do it. Did anybody else have any low sugar ideas that worked? I really want to make these.