Description
Buttery, tender snowball-style cookies scented with fresh orange zest and a hint of warm ground clove, finished with a snowy coat of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
1 cup (227 g) butter, softened
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup (about 25 g) finely ground almonds
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the orange zest, ground cloves, and vanilla until combined.
4. Stir in the ground almonds, flour, and salt until a soft dough forms.
5. Roll the dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden. The tops should stay pale.
7. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes. While still warm, roll them gently in powdered sugar.
8. Cool completely on a wire rack, then roll again in powdered sugar for a thick snowy coating.
Notes
Based on the Orange and Clove Snowball Cookies published by Baking Bites (1 cup butter, 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons orange zest, about 1/3 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 cup ground almonds are from the source), with flour, salt, and baking details from other published orange clove cookie recipes. The 2 cups of flour, the vanilla, the salt, the 350°F oven, the 12 to 15 minute bake time, the 1-inch dough balls, and the yield of about 30 cookies are estimates based on standard snowball cookie recipes, and the recipe has not been tested.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm, then again when cool, for a coating that sticks.
Ground cloves are strong. Measure carefully, since a little goes a long way.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per cookie (30 cookies).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 102
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 8mg