SNOWBALL COOKIES are the Christmas treats I prepared on TV in my show on Canale10. We’ve officially entered the sweetest month, when fragrant little cookies and many other treats will be prepared! Throughout December I will also make many Christmas delights on TV!
Snowball cookies are delicious and fragrant American cookies made without eggs in the dough, very buttery, with nuts and vanilla. They are soft, aromatic and melt in your mouth!
The original snowball cookie recipe calls for pecans; in my recipe, to make it more Italian, I used almonds, but you can also make them with walnuts or hazelnuts. I’m sure you’ll love this recipe as much as I do — these vanilla-scented eggless Christmas cookies with almonds are delicious and make a lovely gift for friends and family or to serve at your holiday table alongside all the other traditional sweets of the season.
Starting this year, all recipes made on TV will also be published on my blog, so it will be easier for you to find the recipe and make it.
Remember that I’m on TV with La cucina di Vane every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1:10 PM and 7:40 PM — I’ll be waiting for you, don’t miss it!
DO YOU NEED MY HELP IN THE KITCHEN? WRITE TO SOS VANE at [email protected] and I will answer you ON TV during my show!
You can read all the recipes recreated on TV HERE and rewatch all the episodes on my YouTube Channel or on the Canale10 website, you can watch this recipe here.
Also read
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (cold but softened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) (plus extra for dusting)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup blanched almonds
Steps
To prepare the snowball cookies, start by chopping the almonds; they should remain in small pieces — do not grind them into a powder.
In a large bowl, work the butter cut into pieces with the powdered sugar, using electric beaters to obtain a soft, homogeneous cream.
Add the vanilla, the pinch of salt and mix well.
Gradually incorporate the flour and the chopped almonds and mix until you obtain a compact dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Take the dough out, form balls approximately 1 1/8 inches in diameter (about 3 cm) and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the cookies in a preheated convection oven at 374°F for about 15–18 minutes; they should be golden at the edges but remain pale and soft — they will firm up a bit as they cool.
Once baked, let the cookies cool slightly, then roll them while still warm in powdered sugar for the first coating.
Once completely cooled, roll them again in powdered sugar, arrange them on a plate and serve — so delicious, fragrant, soft and melting in the mouth… a true Christmas delight!
… Vane’s tips
Snowball cookies keep in a tin box for up to 7 days.
