If you dig up snow covers with a shovel, you should get a snowball. The bug is that you get two snowballs instead of one. Works with all shovels.
Further information provided by @unknown:
Looking at the code, it seems to be a simple oversight. Previously, the thickness of snow was stored in its data value, using the range 0-7, so the number of snowballs dropped was (thickness + 1). With the transition to block states, the thickness is now internally represented as 1-8, but the formula for snowballs dropped wasn't changed, so it gives one extra.
Linked issues
is duplicated by 6
MC-62680
Breaking snow yields 2 Snowballs
Resolved
MC-64555
when snow mined you get 2 snowballs
Resolved
MC-68346
Shoveling snow gives two snowballs
Resolved
MC-69901
Snow layers drop wrong number of snowballs
Resolved
MC-73527
During the destruction of the snow layer shovel snowball drops 2.
Resolved
relates to 2
Attachments
Comments 11
Confirmed for 14w31a because MC-64555 describes it for 14w31a
Is this still an issue in the latest snapshot 16w44a? If so please update the affected versions.
This is an automated comment on any open or reopened issue with out-of-date affected versions.
Interestingly, this behavior means that snow layers can be obtained losslessly if all layers are one-high (6 layers -> 12 snowballs -> 3 blocks -> 6 layers), but snow is lost when stacked (stack of 6 -> 7 snowballs)
Confirmed.