Soft Snowball Cookies are soft and delicious treats made with almond flour. White and tender, just like snowflakes, they practically melt in your mouth. They're incredibly simple to make: simply melt the butter, mix it with sugar and flour, then shape them into balls and bake them. Once cooked, dust them with a little powdered sugar and enjoy them warm and fragrant for breakfast or as a snack, accompanied by a white tea or a spiced infusion.
Are Snowball Cookies and Mexican Wedding Cookies the Same?
Yes, snowball cookies and Mexican wedding cookies are essentially the same cookie, just known by different names depending on the region and tradition. Both are buttery, crumbly, nut-filled shortbread-style cookies rolled generously in powdered sugar.
The base ingredients are nearly identical (butter, flour, finely chopped nuts, vanilla, and lots of confectioners’ sugar), and they share that melt-in-your-mouth texture people love around the holidays. The difference is mostly cultural: Mexican wedding cookies traditionally use pecans and have roots in European nut cookies brought to Mexico by Spanish settlers, while snowball cookies became popular across the U.S. as a wintery, holiday-themed version of the same idea. You may also hear them called Russian tea cakes, which are, again, the same cookie with yet another name.
Ingredients
How to Make Snowball Cookies
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Cut the butter into cubes and collect them in a bowl; add the granulated sugar and work with a whisk until the mixture becomes light and frothy.
Cut the butter into cubes and collect them in a bowl; add the granulated sugar and work with a whisk until the mixture becomes light and frothy.
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In another bowl, mix the flours with the vanilla.
In another bowl, mix the flours with the vanilla.
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Pour the flour mix into the butter mixture and knead with your hands until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous ball.
Pour the flour mix into the butter mixture and knead with your hands until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous ball.
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Take walnut-sized balls from the dough and roll them with your hands. Transfer them gradually to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 350°F/180°C for 10 minutes.
Take walnut-sized balls from the dough and roll them with your hands. Transfer them gradually to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 350°F/180°C for 10 minutes.
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Once the cooking time is up, take the biscuits out of the oven and let them cool, then roll them in icing sugar. Once completely cooled, roll them in icing sugar a second time.
Once the cooking time is up, take the biscuits out of the oven and let them cool, then roll them in icing sugar. Once completely cooled, roll them in icing sugar a second time.
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Enjoy!
Enjoy!
What's The Secret to Soft Snowball Cookies?
Be careful not to overcook them: when they come out of the oven, they will still be very soft, but as they cool, they will gain more consistency while still remaining tender (this is their characteristic).
Can I Flavor Them or Add Anything?
If you prefer, you can flavor your cookie dough with a little grated orange or lemon zest, a pinch of cinnamon, or a dash of almond liqueur. Instead of vanilla, you can add the seeds from a vanilla pod or a few drops of natural essence. To make the biscuits even more delicious, you can enrich them with dark chocolate chips or a handful of dried raisins.
Can I Substitute Almond Flour?
Instead of almond flour, you can use hazelnut or coconut flour; you can also blend them a little more coarsely, for a more rustic and palatable consistency.
Can You Freeze Snowball Cookies?
Yes, snowball cookies freeze extremely well, thanks to their buttery, shortbread-like texture that holds up perfectly in cold temperatures. The only real trick is timing the powdered sugar: you can freeze them fully finished, but most bakers prefer to freeze the baked, uncoated cookies and roll them in fresh sugar after thawing so they look bright and snowy.
Just let the cookies cool completely, freeze them in a single layer before transferring them to an airtight container, and store them for up to two or three months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw at room temperature and give them a final dusting for the perfect finish.
Storage Instructions
Snow cookies can be stored for 2-3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container or tin.
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