Description
Chocolate snowball cookies bring winter charm to classic holiday treats. Mexican wedding cookie lovers will appreciate these rich, cocoa-dusted delights that melt in your mouth and connect you with festive baking traditions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (225 g or 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (250 g or 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (40 g or 1.4 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (60 g or 2.1 oz) powdered sugar, plus extra for coating
- 1 cup (120 g or 4.2 oz) finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
- ½ cup (90 g or 3.2 oz) mini chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Configure oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper for efficient cookie baking.
- Butter Blending: Cream softened butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until achieving a light, fluffy texture with a pale, silky appearance.
- Flavor Foundation: Incorporate vanilla extract and salt into the butter mixture, thoroughly blending to develop a rich, aromatic base.
- Dry Ingredient Integration: Sift flour and cocoa powder together, then gradually fold into the butter mixture using low-speed mixing until a uniform dough forms.
- Mix-in Mastery: Fold chopped nuts and mini chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough, ensuring balanced distribution of textural elements.
- Shaping Strategy: Roll uniform dough balls and arrange them with strategic spacing on prepared baking sheets, maintaining consistent size and shape.
- Baking Transformation: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, watching for set edges and a tender cookie structure.
- Initial Cooling: Allow cookies to rest briefly on baking sheets, enabling slight firming and initial temperature reduction.
- Sugary Coating: While cookies remain warm, gently envelop each in a generous layer of powdered sugar, creating an initial snowy appearance.
- Final Flourish: Complete the cooling process, then apply a second luxurious dusting of powdered sugar for a pristine, winter-inspired finish.
Notes
- Master Temperature Control: Keep oven precisely at 350F to prevent burning edges while maintaining soft, tender cookie centers.
- Chill Dough Before Shaping: Refrigerate mixture 30 minutes to enhance texture, prevent spreading, and make rolling easier with firmer consistency.
- Handle Powdered Sugar Strategically: Apply first sugar coating while cookies are slightly warm for better adhesion, then add second layer after complete cooling for pristine, snow-like appearance.
- Nut Substitution and Allergy Considerations: Replace chopped nuts with seeds or additional mini chocolate chips for nut-free version, ensuring inclusive recipe adaptation for various dietary needs.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 23
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg