Almond Snowball Cookies
Almond Snowball Cookies are delicate treats packed with a lovely almond flavor and dusted with powdered sugar. They are a family favorite Christmas cookie and perfect for holiday sharing.
Giving gifts straight from your kitchen… and heart is way more special than battling the crowds at the mall and trying to decide between a bottle of lotion or candle. Tender, crumbly, almond-filled snowball cookies are sure to make your friends, neighbors and teachers smile. The only challenge is to keep yourself and your family from gobbling them up straight out of the oven!
How Do You Make Almond Snowball Cookies?
Snowball Almond Cookies require very few ingredients, are really simple and this recipe makes a huge amount. You’ll have plenty to give away… and a few to keep! Start by creaming butter and powdered sugar. Then combine the the vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, salt and almonds.
Next roll small balls of dough and bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Once your baked cookies have cooled slightly, roll them in powdered sugar. When they have cooled completely roll them again in powdered sugar and then enjoy. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
The best holiday gifts are handmade and these almond snowball cookies are truly crave-worthy. They’re so pretty too- perfectly festive nutty clouds of confectioners’ sugar packaged for easy gifting throughout the holiday season.
If you’re looking for other favorite cookies for the holidays, check out some of my other MUST haves! Every Christmas my snickerdoodles, old fashioned no-bake cookies, Kris Kringle Christmas Cookies and Grandma’s Special K cookies are on the dessert table!
I’d love to know if you make this (or any) recipe! Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Almond Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (can use Earth Balance for vegan)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + more for rolling cookies
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , (can use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt , omit, if your butter is salted
- 1 cup finely chopped or ground almonds or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Gradually mix in flour, salt and nuts until dough holds together.
- Shape into 1-inch balls and place 1-inch apart on baking sheets that are lined with parchment paper. If dough is super sticky, you can refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.
- Bake 15 minutes and until set, but not brown.
- Cool slightly; roll in powdered sugar.
- Cool completely; roll again in powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Hey Kim! Thank you so much for this recipe!
When I was rolling the dough into balls the dough was very sticky, how can I avoid this happening the next time? 😁
Hi, Erin! You might try refrigerating the dough for about 30 minutes before trying to roll the balls. I added a note in the recipe card that will hopefully be helpful to someone else. 🙂
Been making these for years.
Do you think I could add an egg yolk as a binder for these little cookies ?
If anyone has tried to add egg let me know please.
I understand that the powdered sugar and the butter are suppose to be the only binders but i would be curious to know how they turn out with even 1 egg yolk added to the recipe.
I make mine bigger than 1 inch. So I get less quantity of cookies. I get approximately 20 -21 two or three inch balls.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m using almond flour. I want to make a batch for a gift. How long before can I make these? How long do they last fresh?
These should last you just fine a week to a week and a half. Enjoy!
Could you use almond paste for these?
I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never tried that.
The cookies freeze well.
That’s so great to know! Thanks for your comment!
Hi kim is it possible to freeze the dough?thanks!!!
Hi! I’ve never tried that, so I hate to say yes. If you do try it, please let us know how it goes.
Kim, you rock!!!
This recipe tastes exactly like the ones I grew up with…
Super simple and quick to make!
Thanks for sharing…will be using this recipe from now on.
That makes me so happy to hear!! This was the recipe that my grandma always made, so I totally feel ya!
Could you substitute 1cup of all.purpose flour with almond meal or almond flour?
Or what would the ratio be if I wanted to use whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour?
Hi Jannine, I haven’t tried this, so I’m not completely sure how it work out. However, based on other recipes I’m pretty sure it would work fine to do a 1:1 ratio.
Snowball cookies are one of my favorite cookies, we simply must try this delicious recipe, thanks for sharing! #client
Mine too! Happy holidays to you!