Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer. Outside of the kitchen, she enjoys drinking gimlets and sour beer, spending time with her foster dogs, and going on road trips.
This holiday season, we challenge you to a snowball fight! Not with the actual cold stuff, of course, but with these pretty snow white cookies. Better eaten than thrown, these peppermint snowball cookies are similar to polvorones (AKA Mexican wedding cookies), but made Christmas-ready with a hit of peppermint extract. The more traditional pecans or walnuts are substituted here for almond flour in these delicate, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookies since almonds' mild flavor pairs better with peppermint. Plus, it skips the toasting, cooling, and grinding step necessary in traditional snowball cookie recipes. These delicious holiday treats are easy to change up. Try them stuffed with a Hershey's kiss or with a red velvet base.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Though you can freeze the baked and sugared cookies, they won't maintain their airy, powdery coating. Instead, freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months. First, portion the dough into individual balls, then freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once solid, you can transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Either pull a few portions out at a time and bake according to the recipe, or bake them all at once.
- Yields:
- 20
- Prep Time:
- 5 mins
- Total Time:
- 40 mins
Ingredients
- 1/2 c.
unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp.
peppermint extract
- 3/4 c.
(85 g.) powdered sugar, divided
- 3/4 c.
(90 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c.
(50 g.) finely ground almond flour
- 2 tbsp.
finely crushed peppermint candies, plus more for sprinkling
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
- Step 2In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, salt, peppermint extract, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add all-purpose flour and almond flour and mix on low speed until well-combined.
- Step 3Scoop level tablespoons (about 20 grams each) dough and roll into balls (you should get about 20). Arrange 1" apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies until lightly browned on the bottoms, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Step 4In a small bowl, combine peppermints and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. In another small bowl, place remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Working a few at a time, toss cookies in plain sugar to lightly coat. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Roll cookies in peppermint sugar, then sprinkle tops with more peppermints.