Description
These festive Christmas Snowball Cookies are soft, buttery, and filled with colorful M&Ms, then generously coated with powdered sugar for a sweet, snowy finish. Perfect for holiday gatherings, these cookies combine a tender crumb with a delightful crunch and a touch of almond extract for a classic seasonal flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Christmas M&Ms
For Coating
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter, ½ cup confectioners sugar, and almond extract together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt to distribute the salt evenly.
- Form Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing continuously until a smooth dough forms. Gently fold in the Christmas M&Ms to evenly distribute them without breaking.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Place each ball on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them adequately for even baking. Repeat until all dough is used.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned, indicating they are cooked through but still tender inside.
- Cool Slightly: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes, or until they can be handled without breaking apart.
- First Sugar Coating: Place 2 cups of confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll each warm cookie thoroughly in the powdered sugar to create the initial coating layer.
- Final Cooling and Coating: Transfer the sugar-coated cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Once fully cooled, roll the cookies in powdered sugar once more to achieve the traditional snowball cookie snowy appearance and extra sweetness.
Notes
- For best results, use room temperature butter to ensure the dough mixes evenly and achieves the desired texture.
- Handling the cookies gently when rolling them in powdered sugar prevents breakage.
- You can substitute Christmas M&Ms with other colorful chocolates or mini chocolate chips for variety.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make sure cookies are completely cooled before the second sugar coating to avoid melting the sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Christmas cookies, Snowball cookies, Holiday baking, Almond extract cookies, M&M cookies, Festive desserts
