Snowball cookies are butter cookies enriched with almond flour, very simple to prepare and delicious. They get their name because they resemble snowballs, being “whitened” by powdered sugar. This type of cookie is also widespread outside Italy: the name or shape may change (for example, they are very similar to Austrian vanillekipferl), but the dough is more or less the same.
These easy Christmas cookies are made with few ingredients but have a heavenly taste and texture. They melt in your mouth. If you usually give away traditional holiday treats during the Christmas period, you can also include these cookies on the trays. They are simple but uniquely delicious.
Since no particular tools are needed to make them, you can have fun preparing them with children. They will have a lot of fun creating the balls and rolling them in powdered sugar.
The only care you need to take when preparing these cookies is to choose good quality ingredients. In particular, choose excellent butter, possibly Bavarian or centrifuged. The taste of these cookies will be decidedly better.
Well, now let’s move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare these delicious butter cookies. As always, I leave you other links that might be useful during this Christmas period.
- Puglian Christmas Sweets – the best traditional Puglian sweets to prepare for Christmas
- Almond Paste Sweets – easy and delicious Christmas recipe
- Almond Pizzicotti with and without Bimby – Christmas almond sweets
- Butter Cookies without Eggs – perfect Christmas recipe, melt in your mouth, delicate and crumbly like those from the pastry shop
- Canestrelli Cookies
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Christmas
Ingredients for making snowball cookies
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour (or blanched almonds)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 packet vanilla
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools for making snowball cookies
- Chopper
- Stand Mixer
Steps for making snowball cookies
Let’s go through all the steps to make these very easy and delicious cookies.
Prepare the cookie dough. Take out the butter from the refrigerator about an hour before. You can prepare it with a stand mixer or even by hand with a bowl and spatula.
Work the soft butter with the powdered sugar. You should obtain a cream. Add the tablespoons of milk and the egg yolks. Work again to mix them. Then add the almond flour, all-purpose flour, and vanilla. You will get a very soft dough.
Slightly dust it with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
After the resting time, take the dough. Create balls of about 24-25 grams and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as you prepare them.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 18 minutes.
Once ready, let them cool.
Prepare a small bowl with powdered sugar and roll the snowball cookies in the sugar.
Your cookies are ready to be enjoyed in all their goodness!
Ah, I almost forgot: with the leftover egg whites, you can make delicious almond paste sweets or simple breakfast cookies.
Storage and Variations:
– Snowball cookies can be stored for several days tightly closed in a tin box or another container with a lid.
– If you don’t have almond flour, you can use blanched almonds finely chopped with a teaspoon of powdered sugar.
– If you don’t want to use almonds, you can also use other finely chopped nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts.
– If you don’t want to use almonds, you can also use other finely chopped nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts.
FAQ
Is yeast needed in these cookies?
No, absolutely not. Their dough is already soft and crumbly without yeast.
When should they be rolled in powdered sugar?
It’s best to roll the cookies in powdered sugar when they are cold, to prevent the sugar from melting.
Can they be flavored?
Yes, with vanilla or vanilla extract, as I did, or with lemon or orange zest.
Can they be made without chopped nuts?
Yes, by replacing the nuts with the same amount of flour. However, they won’t taste the same as the originals. They will just be simple butter cookies.
Can they be frozen?
Yes, they can be frozen, although I recommend freezing them without powdered sugar. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough and thaw it when you want to make the cookies.
