Melt-in-your-mouth almond cookies that will bring raves. Huge raves! You might also know them as butterballs, Russian tea cakes, almond Christmas cookies, or powdered sugar cookies. The cookie dough can be made ahead, uses few ingredients, and the baked cookies keep well for a few weeks.
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As far as Christmas cookies go, these little sugar-coated butter cookies are the best.
Who doesn't need an easy recipe for holiday gifting? These almond cookies never disappoint and are perfect for exchanges as they travel well.
You can wrap them and give them as hostess gifts, or take them to whatever party you're going to where you don't want to arrive empty-handed.
They are a crowd-pleaser. Great with coffee, mulled wine, or as an after-dinner sweet bite.
Like my beloved Pistachio Butter Cookies, I make them with almonds, but other recipes might call for a different nut.
Ingredients
They are only four main ingredients in these cookies. I like to add flavorings, but let me tell you now that they are amazing even without them.
- Almonds: I buy nonpareil because they are easily available and the best if you want to remove the skins. But you can use Marcona or any other you like.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one. The amount is small but necessary for the melt-in-your-mouth quality of these cookies. Using granulated sugar will not give the same results.
- Unsalted butter.
- Flour: I have used cake and all-purpose flour with good results.
- Flavorings: are optional, not essential for the cookies to be delicious, but I sometimes add vanilla extract and pure almond extract that add a nice depth of flavor.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
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How to make snowballs
This cookie recipe is made in one bowl and can be easily doubled or tripled.
Powdered sugar coating: after the cookies are baked, they are rolled in powdered sugar while still warm (but not hot) so it adheres well.
You should be able to combine the sugar and soft butter with a spatula. If using an electric mixer, do so at the lowest speed.
The cookie dough looks like it will not come together after you add the flour, but it will.
The final dough is soft, slightly sticky, and spotted if you used raw almonds with the skin.
Cover and chill for a few hours, so the cookies don't spread too much during baking. I use freezer sheets or plastic wrap.
Vintage Kitchen tip: the cookie dough can be chilled for up to 3 days. Always well covered to prevent dryness. The unbaked dough balls can be frozen for up to a month and baked directly from the freezer.
Baking
- Size: form balls the size of walnuts. If you make them too big, they will not bake properly.
- When are they done? They will crack slightly and expand very little. They will be almost firm to the touch.
- Test run: I always recommend baking a couple of cookies first to check the temperature and baking time. All ovens are different, and the dough's temperature is also a variable, so you might need more or less time.
Toasting the nuts
Toasting, in general, opens flavors. Such is the case with spices and seeds that are toasted in a skillet or low oven before going into a dish or salad.
The same goes for the almonds in this recipe. I believe they make a difference.
But, make no mistake, this recipe is amazing even without the toasted nuts.
Watch them! Be aware that it takes a few minutes to toast and a few seconds to burn. So once they go into the oven, keep an eye on them. It's fine to leave the skin on. It will simply crack open here and there. Let them cool down completely before grinding.
Every year I decide to make homemade gifts to give to friends, and every year I fail, lol. Maybe this will be the year. And this is certainly a fitting recipe.
Here's why:
- They travel well.
- Can be made ahead.
- Can be flavored with different spices, citrus zest, and extracts.
- Are delicious plain or glazed, as we do with the Pistachio Butter Balls.
- You'll be hard to find someone that doesn't swoon over them!
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Mixing: you should be able to make this recipe by hand with a whisk, so make sure the butter is soft, at room temperature.
- Toasting the nuts: lightly toasting the almonds adds flavor to the cookies. Be aware that it takes a few minutes to toast and a few seconds to burn. So once they go into the oven, keep an eye. It's fine to leave the skin on. They will simply crack open here and there. Let them cool down completely before grinding, or they might clump.
- Storing: the baked cookies keep very well for a few weeks if stored in an airtight container, tins, or cookie jars.
- Make ahead: the dough is similar to shortbread, so you can freeze the unbaked cookie balls before baking, well wrapped, for a month. Bake directly from the freezer.
- Variations: use different nuts. Add citrus zest (lemon and orange work very well). Add mini chocolate chips. Add a spice, such as ground cinnamon or cardamom.
Frequently asked questions
They crumble too much and fall apart when they don't have enough moisture which comes from the butter. They are crumbly cookies, make no mistake about that. But they hold their shape. If you cannot take a piece of dough and form it into a moist ball you need to add more butter, maybe a few teaspoons. Adding a teaspoon of milk will also bind the dough.
The recipe you used probably had too much butter, not enough dry ingredients to hold them together, or the cookie dough was too soft when you baked them. Our recipe will render perfect cookies if you take the time to chill the dough and follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
Absolutely! I like to freeze the formed balls on the baking sheet, before baking. When rock solid, transfer them to a plastic bag, so they don't take up space in the freezer. Bake directly from the freezer. Baked cookies can also be frozen before rolling them in sugar.
They are not Mexican, and they appear to have been named like that as a counterpart to the Russian tea cakes (it's the same cookie) decades ago during the cold war.
If you call them snowballs the origin is said to go back to the 1800s in NYC.
The original probably dates back centuries and originated in the Middle East, as they have similar cookies with different names.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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Snowball Cookies (melt-in-your-mouth)
Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies with ground almonds. They are a holiday classic and perfect for gifting. They keep well and can be frozen.
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 25 medium
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup ground almonds, toasted if you want to (see Notes below)
- Extra powdered sugar, for coating the cookies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add almond extract and beat well.
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time and then the almonds. Mix just until smooth.
- Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll portions of cold dough between your palms to form balls. Place 1-inch apart on lined baking tray.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are a bit golden and cracked.
- Let cool on a wire rack. Roll in some extra confectioners' sugar to coat.
- These cookies freeze well unbaked. When you need them, just line them up on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, thaw, and bake.
Notes
- Almonds: I buy nonpareil because they are easily available and the best if you want to remove the skins. But you can use Marcona or any other you like.
- Powdered sugar: the amount is small but necessary for the melt-in-your-mouth quality of these cookies. Using granulated sugar will not give the same results.
- Mixing: you should be able to make this recipe by hand with a whisk, so make sure the butter is soft, at room temperature.
- Test run: I always recommend baking a couple of cookies first to check the temperature and baking time. All ovens are different, and the dough's temperature is also a variable, so you might need more or less time.
- Toasting the nuts: lightly toasting the almonds adds a lot to the flavor of the cookie. But they're still great with natural almonds. To toast them: put whole almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a 300°- 325°F oven for about 15 minutes, until the skin starts to crack and the aroma is nutty. Watch them closely so they don't burn. The time might vary depending on the oven.
- Storing: the baked cookies keep very well for a few weeks if stored in airtight containers, tins, or cookie jars.
- Make ahead: the dough is similar to shortbread, so you can freeze the unbaked cookie balls before baking for a month. Bake directly from the freezer.
- Variations: use different nuts. Add citrus zest (lemon and orange work very well). Add mini chocolate chips. Add a spice, such as ground cinnamon or cardamom.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Refrigeration + cooling down: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/24
- Calories: 157
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 1.4 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.2 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 20.3 mg
Keywords: snowballs, mexican wedding cookies
Silvana says
La receta es un 1000 como todas las tuyas. No fallan. Éxito asegurado
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Ay gracias Silvana! Que bueno que te gustaron!
Jeanette T says
Hey Paula, the grams for the AP flour shows 250g & 280g. Which weight should I use? Can’t wait to make these.
Thanks so much
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jeanette! Go with the 250g which is what all purpose flour weighs in the US according to google and many other bloggers. If you feel it's too soft, you can add a couple more tablespoons. If you feel like it, you can bake 1 or 2 cookies as a test run and see how they hold their shape. It sounds weird, but flours are different around the world and the way of measuring it differs from one person to the other, so it's usually best to try a few cookies first (with this and other recipes) and adjust if needed.
If you normally use the metric system and bake from American recipes with cup measurements, I recommend you weigh your own ingredients and jot them down for future uses. Hope this helps.
Jeanette T says
Good afternoon Paula. 99.9% of the time I weigh my ingredients when baking as I do a lot of breads and cakes. As you know, people that use cups can get between 120-140g of flour per cup depending on how they gather their flour. That’s why I dislike recipes with volume; I prefer to weigh my ingredients. I’ve made a similar recipe that uses pecans instead of almonds so I have a pretty good idea how it should look. I’ll follow your advice. Thanks so much. Take care
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Thank you Jeanette for taking the time to trouble shoot. Have a great day!
Melodie says
Was wondering if you could use almond paste in these.I had some with it but never got the recipe.They were wonderful!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Melodie! I never really tried them with almond paste and is usually on the dry side, the ones that I bought at least. So I think it will make these cookies too dense. That said, I will investigate about recipes with paste, as it's such a wonderful flavor. I'll let you know.
J says
Hi! Do you think I could have the recipe?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi J, the full recipe is at the end of the post. If you were able to leave a message you passed the recipe card. You also have a Jump to Recipe at the beginning of the post, right below the title, that takes you straight to the recipe.
Macarena says
I bake these every single year and are ALWAYS a big hit! My friends love them and I’m always complimented when I give them as holiday gifts. Thank you for this recipe Paula.
★★★★★
Helen Normand says
Just baked these and wandering what the best way is to store them once baked and covered in sugar 🙂
Not sure if they should go in the fridge...
Thanks!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Helen! I keep them in tins preferably, or cookie jars. At room t°.