Snowball cookies are a few of the best Christmas cookies you possibly can make—you want simply 5 elements and 1 mixing bowl. These snowballs are a traditional on the Christmas cookie tray, and non-compulsory toasted pecans add the loveliest taste and texture! With none sophisticated steps or elements, you will be assured this straightforward snowball cookie recipe is foolproof.
These sugar-dusted crumbly shortbread cookies have been round for ages, and there’s simply one thing so irresistible about them. They’re uniquely buttery and dense with a melt-in-your-mouth texture—it’s laborious to cease at simply 1!
What Are Snowball Cookies?
Snowball cookies are half butter, half flour, and half confectioners’ sugar. Typically they embody chopped nuts, as properly (strive them with toasted pecans!). The confectioners’ sugar not solely goes into the cookie dough, but additionally coats the skin of the cookie for that iconic snow-dusted exterior. There are not any eggs or leavening brokers in conventional snowball cookie recipes.
What do you name these cookies? They’ve many names, and are often made with nuts or nut flour as an add-in. Names embody Russian tea truffles, Mexican marriage ceremony cookies, butterballs, snowdrops, and extra. If shaped into crescent shapes, they are often referred to as Viennese crescents or Greek kourabiedes.
These straightforward cookies are a steadfast staple on my cookie platter—alongside different classics like gingerbread cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and chocolate crinkle cookies.
Right here’s Why You’ll Love Them
- Soften-in-your-mouth texture
- Buttery, dense, and candy
- Extremely straightforward to make
- 1-bowl recipe
- Simply 5 elements
- Depart them plain, or add chopped nuts or colourful sprinkles
- Solely half-hour of dough-chilling time
- A traditional Christmas cookie everybody ought to strive!
Snowball Cookie Substances (& Why You Want Them!)
With so few elements, each has an important job to do:
- Butter: Creamed butter varieties the bottom of those shortbread-style cookies.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: A little bit within the dough, after which roll the baked cookies in the remainder.
- Vanilla Extract: Provides taste, particularly if utilizing selfmade vanilla extract!
- Flour: That is the construction of the cookie.
- Salt: To stability out the candy. Be aware that it may be non-compulsory if utilizing salted butter, like we do within the video tutorial beneath.
- Non-obligatory: Finely chopped toasted chopped pecans, or add some sprinkles for a pop of shade.
The ratio of butter to sugar to flour within the cookie dough varies between snowball cookie recipes, however I discover 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, and a couple of and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to be the candy spot.
Count on a Crumbly Dough
The cookie dough comes collectively in simply 1 bowl. Will probably be tremendous thick, to the purpose the place you don’t suppose it’ll come collectively. Flip your mixer up and watch the buttery goodness kind earlier than your eyes.
The dough will come collectively, I promise:
Chill the dough for simply half-hour to assist that creamed butter solidify, which helps assure your rounded cookies keep… properly, rounded! With out chilling, your cookies may unfold flat.
Use a Tablespoon measure to portion the dough, after which roll into balls:
Bake the cookies after which we’ll roll in confectioners’ sugar… the enduring a part of this cookie!
How Do You Make the Confectioners’ Sugar Stick?
After the cookies bake, roll each in confectioners’ sugar. The trick to the stick (ha!) is to roll them twice. Give the cookies their first coating when they’re barely heat. Because the cookies cool, the confectioners’ sugar will soften into them. (It tastes wonderful.) After the cookies have cooled, coat them in confectioners’ sugar yet another time, they usually’ll be as superbly snowy as the ultimate scene of a Hallmark Christmas film.
3 Success Ideas
- Use correct room temperature butter. Like when making Christmas sugar cookies or butter cookies, in case your butter is just too gentle while you begin, it gained’t kind a sturdy base on your cookie dough. The cookies will over-spread and style greasy & dense.
- Be sure you use confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar or icing sugar) within the cookie dough. Granulated sugar causes the cookies to over-spread they usually’ll lose their “snowball” form.
- Coat the cookies with confectioners’ sugar twice, as soon as when heat and once more when cool, as a result of the primary layer melts like a… properly, a heat snowball! 😉
Attempt My Pecan Snowball Cookies
Wish to make the very best snowball cookies? Add some toasted pecans. Toasting pecans within the oven elevates their taste, and you’ll actually inform a distinction! Bake the nuts for 8-10 minutes, after which give them a really tremendous chop earlier than mixing into the cookie dough.
You can too use finely chopped (and toasted, if desired) walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.
Even Extra Variations
As an alternative of nuts, strive including sprinkles. Common jimmie-type sprinkles are nice, although nonpareils work too. And if you’d like another variations, strive my cranberry spice cookies, pistachio cookies, and lemon coconut shortbread cookies! I actually have a recipe for chai spice snowball cookies in my e book, Sally’s Cookie Dependancy.
Although the identify varies, one factor’s sure: these snowball cookies at all times disappear rapidly. There’s a motive they’re loved in so many international locations world wide!
Extra Traditional Christmas Cookie Recipes
Description
This cookie dough is constructed from simply 5 elements in 1 mixing bowl and solely wants half-hour of chill time earlier than baking. With none sophisticated steps or elements, you will be assured this straightforward snowball cookie recipe is foolproof. Toasted pecans are non-compulsory, however add the loveliest taste!
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium velocity till fully easy and creamy. Add 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium excessive velocity till mixed and creamy. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Subsequent, beat within the vanilla extract on medium-high velocity till mixed. Swap to low velocity and slowly add the flour and salt. The dough will look dry and you could not suppose the flour will totally mix. As soon as the entire flour is added, flip the mixer as much as excessive velocity. The dough will come collectively. Lastly, beat within the chopped pecans, if utilizing.
- Cowl the cookie dough tightly and chill within the fridge for no less than half-hour and as much as 3 days. (If chilling for 3+ hours, be sure you let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for no less than half-hour earlier than rolling into balls. The cookie dough shall be very stiff after being within the fridge that lengthy.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 giant baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Put aside. Pour the confectioners’ sugar wanted for the coating right into a shallow bowl.
- Scoop or roll 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie. Roll right into a ball and place on the baking sheets, no less than 2 inches aside. Bake the cookies till golden brown on the underside edges and simply barely browned on prime, about quarter-hour.
- Coating: Enable the cookies to chill for five minutes on the baking sheet, then very gently roll them within the confectioners’ sugar to coat fully. Place the cookies on wire racks to chill fully. The confectioners’ sugar will soften a bit and get sticky; that’s okay. As soon as the cookies have fully cooled, roll in confectioners’ sugar once more. That is when the sugar will actually stick.
- Cookies keep contemporary coated at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Baked cookies freeze properly as much as 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough freezes properly as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge then enable to return to room temperature, then proceed with step 3.
- Salt: The video makes use of salted butter, so I skip the salt. Be happy to make use of salted butter and skip the added salt within the recipe.
- To Toast the Pecans: Unfold pecans on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 300°F (149°C). Allow them to barely cool. Then, give them a really tremendous chop. You need small items of nuts. Be happy to skip the toasting step and simply use finely chopped pecans.
- Sprinkles or Different Nuts: You can too use finely chopped (and toasted, if desired) walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts. Toast in line with the identical instructions as pecans in Be aware above. As an alternative of nuts, you’ll be able to beat in 1/2 cup sprinkles.
Key phrases: snowball cookies
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