Description
Lemon cardamom snowball cookies bring zesty Mediterranean charm to classic holiday treats. Delicate powdered sugar-coated cookies melt in your mouth with bright citrus notes and warm cardamom spice, creating a perfect companion for afternoon tea or festive gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
Main Ingredients:
- 1 cup (130g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113g) plant-based (or regular) butter, softened
Flavoring Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup (40g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 large lemon zest (or 2 small lemons)
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 pinch of salt
Topping:
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- Lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, ensuring an even surface for cookie placement.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream softened butter and powdered sugar until completely smooth and well incorporated.
- Blend in salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, ground cardamom, and fresh lemon zest, creating a fragrant and flavorful base.
- Gradually incorporate flour into the mixture, using a large spoon or spatula to gently combine until a cohesive dough forms.
- Carefully measure and shape dough into small, uniform balls approximately in volume, ensuring consistent size and shape.
- Arrange cookie dough balls evenly on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart as they will minimal spread during baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, watching for light golden edges that indicate perfect doneness.
- While cookies bake, prepare a separate bowl with of powdered sugar for coating.
- After removing from oven, let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 4 minutes to slightly cool and firm up.
- Gently roll each warm cookie in powdered sugar, ensuring complete and even coverage.
- Transfer coated cookies to a cooling rack or serving platter, allowing them to cool completely.
- Optional: Perform a second powdered sugar coating for extra sweetness and a more pronounced snowball appearance.
- Optionally garnish with additional fresh lemon zest for brightness and visual appeal.
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Gentle baking transforms butter and flour into delicate, melt-in-your-mouth snowball cookies bursting with bright lemon and aromatic cardamom.
- Rolling cookies uniformly ensures even baking and creates a professional, consistent look that impresses guests and family.
- First sugar coating happens right after baking while cookies are still warm, allowing powdered sugar to slightly melt and create a smooth, delicate exterior.
- These cookies can be prepared ahead of time and stored at room temperature for 5-7 days, making them perfect for holiday gatherings or unexpected company.
- Cardamom and lemon zest provide sophisticated, unexpected flavor complexity that elevates these traditional snowball cookies from ordinary to extraordinary.
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients like real butter and fresh lemon zest to maximize the cookies’ delicate, nuanced flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 60 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 30 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg