Snowball Cookies are delicious Christmas cookies that literally melt in your mouth!They taste like butter and vanilla, but they are also enriched with finely grinded nuts: I've used toasted hazelnuts, but you can use your favourite nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans.Coated in vanilla icing sugar, I think no one could resist to them! They are also eggless so you can make them in advance and store in a tin cookie box for many days.Perfect for a Christmas gift or for a winter break with a hot beverage, they are cute and incredibly easy to make!
60 g(about 1/2 cup)hazelnutsor other nuts like wallnuts, almonds, pecans...
112 g(1/2 cup)unsalted butterroom temperature
40 g(1/3 cup)icing sugaralso known as powdered sugar
1 tspvanilla pasteor vanilla extract
pinch of salt
For Coating
About 150 g(1+1/4 cups)icing sugarif you can find vanilla powdered sugar, go for it. You can make vanilla icing sugar placing some vanilla pots into a jar with icing sugar.
Instructions
Toast the hazelnuts in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes (or until the dark skin are cracked): often tossing to evenly toast them and avoid burning.
Place the toasted hazelnuts in a small-medium size bowl and scratch them to peel the most of the dark skin.
Put the hazelnuts into a food processor and grind (use the pulse function) until very finely chopped: you should get a coarsely powder.
In a medium size bowl, sift the flour, add salt, the finely chopped hazelnuts and combine.
In a big bowl, softened the butter using a spatula, incorporate vanilla and the powdered sugar.
Add the flour mix and combine until crumbs are formed. To check the dough consistency, press the crumbs together: you should get a dough.
Chill the dough into freezer for about 5 minutes or into refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer, form about 17 balls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Put in freeze the balls for about 5 minutes or into refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes..
Bake in preheated oven at 180°C-350°F for about 10-12 minutes; meanwhile sift the dusting icing sugar for coating.
Cool down the cookies for about 3-5 minutes (they are still warm but cool enough to touch them) and roll them into the sifted powdered sugar.
Place them on a wire rack and let them cool completely (at least 30 minutes).
Roll the cookies for the second time into the sifted icing sugar.
Video
Notes
Store them into a tin cookie box for up to 2 weeks.