Description
Festive peppermint snowball cookies bring holiday cheer with their minty, powdery charm. Crumbly, buttery shortbread melts in your mouth, leaving sweet peppermint memories of winter celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- ½ cup (75 g) finely crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, creating an organized baking environment.
- Creaming: Blend softened butter and powdered sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Incorporate vanilla and peppermint extracts, mixing thoroughly to develop a rich, aromatic base.
- Dough Formation: Combine flour and salt, ensuring a smooth texture. Gradually integrate dry ingredients into the butter mixture, folding gently to create a uniform dough. Gently fold in crushed peppermint candies, distributing them evenly throughout the mixture.
- Shaping and Initial Baking: Craft small, uniform spheres from the dough, about one tablespoon in size. Arrange cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving slight spacing between each. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, watching for a delicate golden edge that signals perfect completion.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once at room temperature, generously coat each cookie in powdered sugar. For an enhanced festive appearance, blend finely crushed peppermint candies into the powdered sugar before the final rolling process.
Notes
- Choose Quality Butter: Select high-fat, unsalted butter at room temperature for smoother mixing and richer flavor in your snowball cookies.
- Prevent Crumbly Dough: Chill the dough for 30 minutes before shaping to help cookies maintain their round shape and prevent excessive spreading during baking.
- Manage Peppermint Intensity: Adjust peppermint extract量 carefully to balance flavor – start with less, as it can quickly become overpowering in the delicate cookie base.
- Roll Carefully: Coat cookies in powdered sugar while slightly warm for better sugar adhesion, but wait until they’re cool enough to handle without breaking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 23
- Calories: 146
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg