Hojicha Snowball Cookies are soft, buttery, and lightly sweet with a warm, roasted tea flavor. They’re perfect for the holidays—easy to make ahead, freezer-friendly, and great for gifting or adding to cookie boxes when you want something a little different from the classics!
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Easy Hojicha Cookies
If you like snowball cookies but want to change up the flavour, these hojicha snowball are for you! The dough is flavored with hojicha powder, a roasted Japanese green tea that brings a toasty, nutty depth without being grassy or bitter. The result is a cookie that feels cozy and familiar, but still interesting.
Compared to matcha or kinako cookies, hojicha has a softer presence. It doesn’t dominate the dough or turn the cookies overly sweet. Instead, it rounds out the butter and almond flour, making these cookies easy to snack on and especially good with coffee or tea. They’re the kind of cookie you reach for without thinking—and suddenly half the tray is gone.
These hojicha snowball cookies are:
- Great for holiday baking, gifting, and cookie boxes
- Buttery and crumbly, not dry
- Lightly sweet with a roasted tea aroma
- Made without chilling overnight
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe uses simple ingredients, but each one plays a role in the texture and flavor.
- Salted butter – adds richness and balance; if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar – keeps the cookies tender and smooth
- Milk powder – optional, but gives a gentle milky taste
- Hojicha powder – roasted green tea powder; culinary grade is best
- Almond flour – gives the cookies their soft, sandy texture
- Cake flour – keeps the crumb delicate
- Vanilla extract – rounds out the roasted flavor
- Note: If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour, but the cookies will be slightly firmer.
How to Make Hojicha Snowball Cookies
These cookies are straightforward and beginner-friendly, even if you don’t bake often.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Mix in the hojicha powder and vanilla.
- Add the milk powder, almond flour and cake flour and mix just until a dough forms.
- Chill briefly, then portion and roll into balls.
- Bake until set but still pale.
- The cookies will look soft when they come out of the oven—this is what you want. They firm up as they cool while staying tender inside.
VIDEO: Watch How to Make It
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in—this keeps the cookies light and crumbly.
- If the dough feels too soft to roll, an extra 10 minutes in the fridge helps.
- Use a small cookie scoop or scale for even sizing, especially for gifting or cookie boxes.
- These cookies stay pale by design; avoid overbaking for best texture
How to Make Ahead and Store Snowball Cookies
These hojicha snowball cookies are ideal for making ahead:
- Fridge: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer (unbaked): Roll into balls and freeze. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
- Freezer (baked): Freeze fully cooled cookies for up to 1 month.
This makes them especially convenient for holiday baking schedules and cookie box prep.
Recipe FAQ
Hojicha has a roasted, nutty flavor that’s mellow and slightly sweet, without the grassy notes of matcha.
Almond flour is key to the texture, but you can substitute finely ground cashews in a pinch.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Hojicha White Chocolate Cookies
- Matcha Snowball Cookies
- Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies
- Stollen Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Snowball Cookies
- Hojicha Latte Cookies
Enjoy! If you make this Hojicha Snowball Cookies recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below, and if you share it on social media, tag me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!
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Hojicha Snowball Cookies
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Hojicha Snowball Cookies are soft, buttery, and lightly sweet with a warm, roasted tea flavor. They’re perfect for the holidays—easy to make ahead, freezer-friendly, and great for gifting or adding to cookie boxes when you want something a little different from the classics!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp (50 g) salted butter
- 3 tbsp (20 g) powder sugar
- 1 tbsp (8 g) milk powder, optional
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp (25 g) almond flour
- 1 tsp (5 g) hojicha powder
- 1/2 cup (60 g) cake flour
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the salted butter and powdered sugar. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1–2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the hojicha powder and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until evenly incorporated.
- Add the almond flour and cake flour. Mix on low speed, just until a soft dough forms and no dry spots remain. Do not overmix.
- Bring the dough together, flatten slightly, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (170°C/338°F convection). Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (about 14 g each). Roll each portion into a smooth ball and place on a lined baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the cookies are set and the bottoms are just lightly golden. They should stay pale on top.
- Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Add powder sugar and cookies into a bag and toss. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
These cookies can be made with a hand mixer using the same method. When mixing by hand, start by smoothing the butter with a spatula, then mix in the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and gently cut them in using the side of the spatula, scooping from the bottom of the bowl as needed. Once the dough is evenly mixed, press it firmly with the spatula to make sure there are no dry bits left. Pinch the dough together and continue with the recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican, Japanese-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 0.4 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 0.7 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
The flavour of the hojicha really meshes well with this cookie. Not too sweet and whenever I make it they don’t last very long because theyre so easy to eat! Dangerous!
These are SO GOOD!!! Perfect texture and flavour. Not too sweet but the outside coating makes them met in the mouth so it’s sweet and then get that nice hojicha flavour! Loved both the matcha too