Description
These Filled Almond Snowball Cookies are delicate, buttery treats with a soft almond-flavored dough wrapped around a sweet raspberry jam center, finished with a generous coating of powdered sugar. Perfect for holiday baking or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup toasted ground almonds
- Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 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, toasted ground almonds, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar. In another bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Flavoring. Beat in the almond extract until evenly incorporated into the butter and sugar mixture.
- Combine Dough. Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture, beating on low speed just until combined without overmixing.
- Shape Cookies. Take two 1-inch pieces of dough and roll each into separate balls. Using your fingers, create a hollow in the center of each dough ball and fill each hollow with about a scant half teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam.
- Enclose Jam. Carefully press the two dough balls together around the jam, pinching the edges to seal completely and reshape gently into a smooth ball.
- Prepare for Chilling. Place the formed cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and continue shaping the remaining dough in the same manner.
- Chill Dough. Refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 1 to 2 hours to firm up before baking.
- Preheat Oven. Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking.
- Bake Cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the bottoms just begin to brown, indicating they are cooked through without overbaking.
- First Sugar Coating. Remove the cookies from the oven and while still slightly warm, roll them gently in powdered sugar to coat evenly.
- Second Sugar Coating. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then roll them in powdered sugar a second time for a classic snowball appearance.
- Store Cookies. Store the finished cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness and retain their delicate texture.
Notes
- To toast almonds, spread raw almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Then grind them finely.
- Ensure the butter is softened to room temperature to achieve proper creaming with the sugar.
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and to maintain the shape of the filled cookies during baking.
- Use seedless raspberry jam to avoid seeds interfering with the smooth texture inside the cookies.
- Double coating with powdered sugar gives the cookies their signature snowball look and extra sweetness.
- Store cookies in a cool, dry place in an airtight container for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
