Description
Delightful cherry pistachio snowball cookies blend Middle Eastern and European baking traditions with festive winter charm. Powdery confectioners’ sugar and chopped pistachios create a melt-in-your-mouth experience you’ll savor during holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (90 g) chopped pistachios
- ½ cup (75 g) chopped maraschino cherries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, creating an ideal baking environment for delicate snowball cookies.
- Dough Composition: In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth, then integrate flour, finely chopped pistachios, diced maraschino cherries, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract, blending until a cohesive dough forms without overmixing.
- Shaping: Gently roll the dough into uniform one-inch spheres, placing them with modest spacing on the prepared baking sheet to ensure even baking and consistent shape.
- Baking: Slide the cookie sheet into the preheated oven, allowing the cookies to bake until edges turn a soft golden color, approximately 18-20 minutes, maintaining a watchful eye to prevent over-browning.
- Initial Sugar Coating: Immediately after removing from the oven, while cookies are still warm, delicately roll each one in powdered sugar, ensuring complete and elegant coverage.
- Cooling and Final Presentation: Transfer cookies to a cooling rack, letting them reach room temperature, then perform a second, light dusting of powdered sugar for a pristine, festive appearance.
- Storage: Preserve the cookies’ texture and flavor by storing in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or freeze for extended enjoyment.
Notes
- Measure Precisely: Use exact measurements for flour and nuts to maintain the perfect cookie texture and prevent crumbling.
- Chill Dough Option: Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before shaping to enhance flavor development and improve cookie structure.
- Handle Gently: Work with soft but not melted butter and avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender and light.
- Sugar Coating Tip: Roll cookies in powdered sugar while slightly warm for better sugar adhesion and a smoother, more even coating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 22
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg