Vanilla Fragrant Snowflake Cookies with a heart of colors. “For a magical and fragrant Christmas morning, here are crumbly cookies that taste like home. Beautiful to look at and easy to prepare, they are the perfect gift made with love. You can bake them comfortably in the oven or quickly in an air fryer.”
There is nothing more wonderful than filling the house with the scent of butter, vanilla, and lemon zest. Today I made these simple yet delightful cookies: a base of light shortcrust pastry, a dusting of powdered sugar like fresh snow, and a burst of colors in the center.
“Making these cookies took me back to my childhood, in the warm and cozy kitchen of my neighbor Bruna. I still remember the joy of making them together, the scent of lemon and vanilla filling the room, and the eagerness to taste them.
It was a ritual of sharing: once ready, they were lovingly divided… some for her son Mauro, some for my little siblings.
These Snowflake Stars hold that taste of home, friendship, and generosity that makes Christmas truly special.
Every bite is a tribute to those happy afternoons and a sweetness that transcends time.”
Perfect for dipping in tea or gifting to loved ones.
At the bottom, you will find the low glycemic index version of the recipe.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 28 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
Vanilla Fragrant Snowflake Cookies
- 2 cups g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup g sugar (erythritol)
- 1/2 cup g butter (cold and cubed)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp g baking powder
- q.b. vanilla extract
- lemon (Grated zest of 1 lemon)
- q.b. powdered sugar
- g water (Drop of water in the center of each cookie or honey)
- q.b. colored sprinkles
Tools
- Air Fryers
- Bowl
- Food Wraps
- Cookie Cutters
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Food Scales
Steps
Vanilla Fragrant Snowflake Cookies
In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and baking powder. Add the cubed butter, lemon zest, and vanilla. Work the ingredients with your hands until you obtain a sandy mixture.
Work with your fingers until you get a sandy mixture.
Add the whole egg, yolk, and grated zest of an organic lemon. Knead everything until you get a homogeneous dough.
Add the whole egg and yolk. Knead quickly until you get a smooth and fragrant dough.
Wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch on a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper.
Shape your cookies with Christmas cutters.Place the shaped cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated static oven at 350°F for about 10/12 minutes.
Fan oven 320°F 10-12 minutes. Begin checking the cookies after the first 8-9 minutes: they should be golden at the edges but still light on top.
Air Fryer Settings
Temperature: 320°F (instead of 350°F). The air fryer is more aggressive than a static oven, so a lower temperature prevents them from darkening too much outside while remaining raw inside.
Time: 8-10 minutes. Check them after the first 7 minutes: when the edges start to just brown, they are ready.Tip … Arrange the cookies in a single layer on the basket. If you overcrowd them, the air won’t circulate, and they won’t cook properly. You’ll likely need to do 2 or 3 “batches”.
Parchment paper: Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the basket precisely. Don’t leave it too large, or the edges of the paper will lift with the air and cover the cookies.
The cold basket trick: Between batches, the basket will be very hot. Wait a minute before adding new cookies or reduce the cooking time of the second batch by 1-2 minutes.
Once cooked and taken out of the oven, allow to cool completely.
Final Decoration:
Once the cookies are cold, place a small drop of water in the center of each cookie and adhere the colored sprinkles.
Only at the end, dust the entire tray with plenty of icing sugar for the final snow effect.
Merry Christmas from your Angela.
Tips and Tricks
The cold is your ally: Before baking, place the tray with the cut cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Inserting well-chilled dough into the hot fan oven helps maintain the shapes of the flowers or stars perfect.
In a fan oven, cookies tend to darken more quickly at the bottom. Check the base of one of the cookies towards the end of the time to ensure it’s not too dark.
After baking: Immediately remove the tray from the oven and, if possible, move the cookies (with the parchment paper) to a cold surface. The heat from the tray would continue to cook them even outside of the oven.
A small practical tip: If you find the dough too soft while working it (maybe because the eggs were large), feel free to add a scant tablespoon of flour, but don’t overdo it, so you don’t lose the crumbly texture.
Final Process (Review)
Once extracted and completely cooled:
Add the drop of water in the center.
Add the colored sprinkles.
Dust with plenty of icing sugar.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
I am diabetic, how can I make them?
Replace 50g of all-purpose flour with 50g of almond flour. Almonds are rich in good fats and fibers that slow down the absorption of sugars.
Whole Wheat or Type 2 Flour: Replace the remaining 200g with type 2 or finely ground whole wheat flour.
2. Sugar Replacement
Instead of white sugar, you can use alternatives that don’t create glycemic spikes:
Erythritol: Has a glycemic index of zero. Use it in the same quantities as sugar (100g), but remember it has a slightly lower sweetening power (about 70%) and leaves a “cool” sensation on the palate.
3. The Decoration (The Critical Point)
Here we need to be careful, as icing sugar and sprinkles are pure glucose.
For the “Snow” Effect: There is erythritol powder (you can find it ready-made or finely grind the granular erythritol). Aesthetically it is identical to powdered sugar but with zero glycemic impact.
For the “Heart of Colors”: If you want to be strict, you could use pistachio or dried raspberry granules instead of sprinkles. However, if sprinkles are essential for the memory of Bruna, use just a pinch: the amount per single cookie will still be minimal.
If you liked this recipe, click on many stars, thank you very much.
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