Description
Delicious filled almond snowball cookies with a buttery almond-flavored dough and a sweet raspberry jam center, coated in powdered sugar for a snowy finish. Perfectly crumbly yet tender, these cookies are a delightful treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup toasted ground almonds
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
- 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
To Finish
- Powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In one bowl, stir together the all purpose flour and pinch of salt until combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In another bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream the unsalted butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Flavor: Add the almond extract to the creamed butter mixture and mix briefly.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed just until combined without overmixing.
- Incorporate Almonds: Stir in the toasted ground almonds gently to distribute evenly through the dough.
- Shape Dough Balls: Take two 1-inch pieces of dough each and roll into balls. Create a hollow in each dough ball with your fingers, then add a scant half teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam into the hollow.
- Enclose Jam: Press the two dough balls together to enclose the jam completely, pinching edges to seal and gently reshape into a smooth ball.
- Arrange for Chilling: Place the shaped cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them to prevent sticking.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate the baking sheets with shaped cookies for 2 hours to firm up.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
- Bake Cookies: Bake the chilled cookies for about 12 minutes until the bottoms just begin to brown.
- Coat with Sugar: Remove the cookies from the oven, and while still warm, roll them in powdered sugar to coat.
- Final Sugar Coating: Once the cookies have completely cooled, roll them in powdered sugar again for a snowy finish.
- Store: Store the finished cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Toast the almonds before grinding for enhanced nutty flavor.
- Room temperature butter ensures better creaming and texture.
- Seal the jam filling carefully to prevent leakage during baking.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain shape and texture.
- Double coating in powdered sugar gives the classic snowball appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
