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This Delicious Soft Snowballs Recipe is one I make very often in our home. Snowballs is a sweet treat we grew up eating. It was these delicious little round cakes with a hard icing in the centre and coconut all around.  I promise once you eat them you will never want to stop.

These South African Snowballs are not to be confused with the Snowball Cookies.

Snowballs Recipe

I remember those days when my mum used to buy us Wareings Snowballs and donuts with mock cream in the middle. It was a treat we looked forward to.  Whatever happened to Wareings.

Then I remember my office days when I worked in corporate (giving my age again) all the hungry young boys bought Snowballs when they wanted a treat. They loved dipping it in milk.

We have bakeries that still bake Snowballs but nothing as delicious as the ones we are used to. Every time I buy one I am highly disappointed.

A friend shared her mums Delicious Soft Snowballs Recipe with me years ago and whenever I baked those snowballs they were devoured.

My mum and my mum-in-laws request, whenever they visit me, is always this Snowballs Recipe. However, my friend said I couldn’t share her mums recipe because she had literally “stolen” the recipe and gave it to me.

Her mum doesn’t know I have the recipe so imagine her finding it on the internet. So I had to promise my friend I will not share the Snowballs Recipe with anyone.

I had to make a plan and create my own recipe for the people that always asks for my friend’s Snowball Recipe.  These Snowballs Recipe turned out so amazing and nobody knew the difference. 

Recently I had a whole bunch of family over and I had to make a ton of them.  I know that just a few would not be enough for my hungry family.  And trust me everything was finished in the blink of an eye.

Making the Snowballs

I don’t often say this but baking these Snowballs is a bit of a task. But it is so worth it. You have to pipe out the dough into rounds.

A piping bag works great for this recipe.  You can cut a little hole in the piping bag or you can use a round nozzle. After it’s baked you sandwich them together with jam.

It is then dipped in syrup and rolled in coconut. Some add the apricot jam to the syrup but I prefer the jam in the centre.

I am also not particularly fond of the sugar icing that goes in the centre. But I will try a different version of the recipe soon. So for those that prefer the sugar like center can enjoy it too.

These Snowballs are also a little softer compared to the dry, biscuit like texture.

Storing the Snowballs

These Snowballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

More Sweet Treat Recipes:

Gulab Jamun: South African Recipe

Melting Moments with Custard Powder

Chocolate Coconut Biscuits

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Snowballs Recipe

Melt-in-your-mouth snowballs, little cakes dipped in syrup and covered in coconut

Course Dessert

Keyword cake dipped in syrup, snowballs, south african snowballs

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 65

Ingredients

• 375 grams butter
• 270 ml castor sugar
• 2 tspn vanilla essence
• 4 large eggs
• 3&1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• few drops pink food colouring

Syrup

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1&1/2 cups water

Instructions

Syrup

• Add sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until syrup thickens a little
• Syrup shouldn't be too thick as you want it to penetrate into the little cakes

Snowballs

• Add a few drops of food colouring to the coconut and set aside
  
• Preheat Oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Cream the butter until light and fluffy
• Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy. Mixture will double in volume
• Mix in the vanilla essence
• Add the eggs, one at a time and continue beating until well combined. Add a few drops of food colouring
• Add the powdered milk and flour together with the milk and whisk into a thick batter
  
• Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and pipe out little rounds.
  
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 4-6 minutes
• Cool on a cooling rack
• Heat the apricot jam in the microwave for 30 seconds
• Sandwich the cakes with apricot jam. Dip in syrup and roll in coconut

Notes

1. I made 65 mini snowballs but you can make them larger if you prefer. Please bare in mind that the dough spreads
2. You can omit the powdered milk if you don't have any, however it does add a lovely richness to the Snowballs
3. If you prefer you an make icing with icing sugar mixed with milk and sandwich the cakes with that instead of the jam
4. If you don't have a piping bag you can use a ziplock bag, just cut a litle hole in one corner. 
5. I keep my syrup warm on the lowest temperature on the stovetop, this works for me and prevents the syrup from becoming crystallised. If syrup thickens too much, you can add a little water

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