Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Not much says Christmas more than snowball cookies and peppermint. So why not put these two together to create these melt-in-your-mouth Peppermint Snowball Cookies? Fabulously festive peppermint flavor and a fun bright pink hue, all packed in an adorable classic snowball cookie form -- What more could we ask for in a Christmas cookie?
Not much says Christmas more than snowball cookies and peppermint. So why not put these two together, right? Oh why not, indeed.
Classic snowball cookies are a quintessential Christmas-time treat. Also known as Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies, these adorable little bites seem to pop up everywhere during the holidays. With their slightly-sweetened shortbread-type cookie rolled in a coating of powdered sugar, what's not to love?
And besides their adorableness and great taste, do you know what else I love about snowball cookies? -- They're really fun and easy to adapt to other flavors, too.
Fabulously festive peppermint flavor, a fun bright pink hue, all in an adorable classic snowball cookie form -- What more could we ask for in a Christmas cookie?
Like with our Red Velvet Snowball Cookies I shared just a while back. And now -- with this fun and festive peppermint version.
Peppermint Snowball Cookies are packed with wonderful peppermint flavor from peppermint extract in the cookie dough itself, and from mixing finely crushed candy canes in with their powdered sugar coating. It's a double hit of peppermint that delivers up fabulously festive flavor.
And their bright pink pepperminty hue is tons of fun, too. It hides inside that thick white sugary coating, and when you bite into the peppermint deliciousness that beautifully pink interior is magically revealed. It's like biting into a little pink peppermint present!
Fabulously festive peppermint flavor, a fun bright pink hue, all in an adorable classic snowball cookie form -- What more could we ask for in a Christmas cookie?
Peppermint Snowball Cookies are made in just the same way as traditional snowball cookies. Mix up a simple dough with butter, confectioners' sugar, all-purpose flour, and some finely chopped pecans. Form the dough into small cookie balls, bake them up, and then roll the baked cookies in powdered sugar.
The only changes needed to make this peppermint version are to add peppermint extract to the dough for flavoring, and to add in some red food coloring to create the cookies' bright pink pepperminty hue.
I then also mixed some finely crushed candy canes in with the powdered sugar coating. Just mix the crushed candy canes right in with the confectioners' sugar to be used for rolling, and then roll the cookies as usual. The candy cane pieces will adhere to the cookies right along with the powdered sugar.
Now, the secret to getting a nice, even, thick white coating of powdered sugar on the finished cookies is the double roll.
That's right -- roll those little beauties in sugar twice.
Do the first sugar rolling while the cookies are hot. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them stand on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes to cool them just enough to handle. Then, handling them very gently, roll the hot cookies in confectioners' sugar.
Since the cookies are hot, some of the sugar will almost melt into the cookies. After that first rolling, the cookies will look about like this:
The only changes needed to make this peppermint version are to add peppermint extract to the dough for flavoring, and to add in some red food coloring to create the cookies' bright pink pepperminty hue.
I then also mixed some finely crushed candy canes in with the powdered sugar coating. Just mix the crushed candy canes right in with the confectioners' sugar to be used for rolling, and then roll the cookies as usual. The candy cane pieces will adhere to the cookies right along with the powdered sugar.
The secret to getting a nice, even, thick white coating of powdered sugar on the finished cookies is the double roll.
Now, the secret to getting a nice, even, thick white coating of powdered sugar on the finished cookies is the double roll.
That's right -- roll those little beauties in sugar twice.
Do the first sugar rolling while the cookies are hot. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them stand on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes to cool them just enough to handle. Then, handling them very gently, roll the hot cookies in confectioners' sugar.
Since the cookies are hot, some of the sugar will almost melt into the cookies. After that first rolling, the cookies will look about like this:
Then once they're completely cooled, roll each cookie in confectioners' sugar again.
After the second sugar roll, the cookies will have an almost shell-like thicker coating of confectioners' sugar that more completely covers the bright pink hiding inside.
Then you're ready to dive into the peppermint deliciousness!
Serve these little peppermint beauties up on any Christmas cookie tray or at any Christmas cookie exchange, and they'll not disappoint. Because these Peppermint Snowball Cookies are just loaded with fabulously festive peppermint flavor.
(Note Click on over to my Classic Snowball Cookies post for tips on how to create tender-textured snowball cookies.)
Serve these little peppermint beauties up on any Christmas cookie tray or at any Christmas cookie exchange, and they'll not disappoint. Because these Peppermint Snowball Cookies are just loaded with fabulously festive peppermint flavor.
(Note Click on over to my Classic Snowball Cookies post for tips on how to create tender-textured snowball cookies.)
Check out these other tasty peppermint treats:
- Peppermint Saltine Cracker Toffee
- Quick & Easy Peppermint Fluff Dip
- Christmas White Chocolate-Peppermint Potato Chips
- Christmas White Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn
- Christmas Homemade Thin Mints
- White Chocolate Peppermint Eggnog
Yield: About 36 cookies
Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Not much says Christmas more than snowball cookies and peppermint. So why not put these two together to create these melt-in-your-mouth Peppermint Snowball Cookies? Fabulously festive peppermint flavor and a fun bright pink hue, all packed in an adorable classic snowball cookie form -- What more could we ask for in a Christmas cookie?
prep time: 40 Mcook time: 9 Mtotal time: 49 M
ingredients:
- 1 c. butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 10 to 20 drops red food coloring (to desired shade of pink)
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
- additional 3/4 c. confectioners' sugar for rolling
- 1/4 c. finely crushed candy canes (optional)
instructions:
How to cook Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Combine butter, the 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, peppermint extract, pure vanilla extract, and red food coloring in a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add flour and salt. Mix again until ingredients come together to form a crumbly dough. Stir in chopped pecans.
- Cover and chill dough for about 20 minutes.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon of dough, squish in your hand 2-3 times to bring the dough together, and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake at 375℉ for 7-9 minutes, until bottoms are just barely beginning to get a little golden brown. Do not over bake.
- Remove from oven and allow to stand on the pan for 2-3 minutes.
- Combine 3/4 c. confectioners' sugar for rolling with finely crushed candy canes, if using candy canes.
- Handling the cookies gently, roll each warm cookie in confectioners' sugar until well coated. Place on a cooling rack; cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, roll each cookie in confectioners' sugar again.
- Store in an airtight container.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
- Don't just soften the butter -- bring it to room temperature. Which means it will be very soft. This helps this rather crumbly dough come together much more easily.
- Be sure to add the red food coloring in the first step when mixing the butter mixture. This helps the coloring more easily incorporate throughout all the dough.
- Since the butter is so soft, chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes or so before baking firms the butter back up a bit and keeps the cookies from spreading when they bake.
- I use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to measure and prepare the cookie balls. This keeps them all the same size and makes prepping the cookie balls so easy!
- These cookies just puff a little bit when baking, so you can put a lot on the pan at once -- they only need a little space between them. I've been known to get an entire batch of 36 cookies onto one pan!
- Handle the cookies very gently when doing the first sugar roll while they're hot -- I occasionally have one or two crumble on me.
- Keep your fingers very dry when rolling the cookies in confectioners' sugar so you don't have a sticky mess and get fingerprints all over the finished cookies.
- You can use chopped walnuts or almonds in place of the pecans, if you'd like.
- These cookies freeze very well. I freeze mine in sealable plastic containers with waxed paper between the layers of cookies. And I try not to stack more than 2 or 3 layers together to reduce the chance of crumbling.
You might also like these other cookie favorites:
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