I love a seasonal cookie and these peppermint snowball cookies are just thing to fulfill that craving, whether it’s for Christmas or just cold weather.
They’re so pretty with their bright white and powdery coating. But then when you bite into them they have all of the minty flavor of the season.
I could eat an entire pound of these cookies in one sitting — they’re that delicious! But if you’re making them, try to save more than a few for your guests.
When you’re looking for a delicious and easy recipe for a pretty dessert for your holiday cookie platter, try these pretty little snowball cookies. They’ll make any cookie platter just a little bit better.
Common Questions about Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Why did my peppermint snowballs go flat?
Snowball cookies will go flat if the dough isn’t kept cold enough or if the oven temperature is too low. While you’re working with the dough to create the cookies, keep portions in the refrigerator until you’re ready to work with them.
If the dough gets too soft, return it to the fridge — as for the oven, make sure to keep a thermometer handy so that you can rely on the oven temperature.
Why are they called snowball cookies?
They are a traditional buttery style of cookie similar to that of Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes but they’re round and covered in confectioner’s sugar so that they look like snowballs.
Making Peppermint Snowball Cookies Ahead of Time
You can make the dough and store it for up to 3 days in the refrigerator before baking.
Storage
An airtight container, ziploc bag, or plastic wrap will be useful when trying to store these treats. They keep well on the counter for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: You don’t need to store these in the fridge but if you choose to, allow them to reach room temperature before serving.
Freezing: Store these in a freezer-safe container or plastic bags for up to 3 months.
Tips For The Best Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Make sure the candies are crushed finely. While you do want plenty of peppermint flavor, it’s best if it’s spread out throughout the ball rather than having big bites of peppermint candy within.
- Soften the butter. Making sure the butter is at room temperature is key to easily mixing the ingredients.
- Use quality ingredients. Pure vanilla extract is far superior to imitation so when possible try to use pure instead.
Ingredients
With only a few ingredients, this recipe is ideal for making cookies on the fly.
- Unsalted butter (softened)
- Confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Crushed candy canes or crushed peppermint candies
Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need
Most of these supplies are probably at hands-reach in your kitchen. If not, substitute other supplies that will do the job as well.
- Large bowl
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer)
- Resealable bag
- Rolling pin (or meat mallet)
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Plate
- Cookie dough scoop (or tablespoon)
- Parchment paper (or Silpat liner)
How to Make Traditional Snowball Cookies with Peppermint
This easy recipe will yield you some classic snowball cookies in nearly no time!
- Add butter and most of the confectioner’s sugar to a large bowl.
- On high speed, beat the ingredients until they are completely combined with the electric mixer or stand mixer.
- While continuing to mix, add the extracts and the salt.
- Turn the mixer to low speed.
- Slowly add the flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Set the bowl aside.
- Place the peppermint candies into a resealable bag.
- Crush the candies using a rolling pin or the smooth side of a meat mallet.
- Then, fold the crushed candy into the dough until it is completely combined.
- Portion out the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet using a small cookie scoop.
- Place the cookie balls into the oven and bake cookies until the edges and bottoms are a light golden brown.
- Once the cookies have finished baking, allow them to rest on the cookie tray briefly while it is on a wire rack.
- Then, transfer the baked cookies from the baking sheet to the cooling rack to completely cool to room temperature.
- Pour the remainder of the confectioner’s sugar on a plate.
- Before serving, roll the cookies in the confectioner’s sugar.
What to Serve With Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Like any good dessert, these pair well with pretty much anything that you might like to have as an after-dinner treat.
- Frozen treats – These make a gorgeous garnish for any ice cream, gelato, or sorbet.
- Coffee – From regular brews to a boozy Christmas coffee, these peppermint treats will pair well.
- Hot chocolate – Snowball cookies couldn’t find a better pairing than with a delicious hot chocolate.
- Milky drinks – Just plain white milk or chocolate milk go beautifully with these. It’s the way Santa would want them.
- Cocktails – A spiced old fashioned would be a simple seasonal complement to peppermint snowball cookies but you can also do something a little lighter like a cranberry orange mimosa or even an espresso martini. For an extra flair, try adding small pieces of the hard peppermint candy (crushed) to the rim of the drink.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
Whether it’s Christmas time or just a cold winter day, these minty cookies will brighten anyone’s spirits.
- Easy – This easy recipe is so perfect for anyone wanting something simple to make that’s also a departure from the traditional Christmas cookie.
- Cost effective – There are few ingredients and they are all affordable while yielding a good amount of cookies.
- Seasonal – Snowball cookies, especially with peppermint flavor, are a perfect dessert for wintery weather.
Variations and Add-ins
While these sweet treats are delicious as-is, you can add all sorts of goodies to make them even more special.
- Mini-chocolate chips – Try folding in some mini chocolate chips, either semi-sweet, milk, dark, or white chocolate chips for chocolatey goodness.
- Extracts – Swap out any of the extracts for a flavor you prefer.
- Nuts – Crush some nuts and add them to the dough before baking or roll them in the nuts afterwards.
- Decorator’s sugar – Add the shade of decorator’s sugar of your choice to the confectioner’s sugar to add some sparkly pizzazz to these cookies.
- Coloring – Add gel food coloring to make these any shade you like.
- Toppings – In addition to, or in place of, the powdered sugar try using other toppings like nuts, a candy coating, or peppermint oreo cookies that are crushed.
More Awesome Peppermint Recipes to Try
White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cookies
If you love this easy Peppermint Snowball Cookies recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Seasonal Cookies
Include these cookies in a beautiful Christmas Cookie Board
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Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks) unsalted
- ⅔ cup confectioner’s sugar sifted, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup peppermint candies finely crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and ⅔ cup of the confectioner’s sugar until well combined.
- Add both extracts and the salt.
- Gradually add the flour, beating until well combined.
- Crush the peppermint candies by placing them in a resealable bag and hitting them with a rolling pin or flat end of meat mallet.
- Add the crushed peppermint candy to the cookie dough mixture and blend well.
- Divide the dough using a cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan on a wire rack before transferring the cookies from the pan to the rack to cool completely.
- Roll the cookies in additional confectioner’s sugar before serving.
- Store the cookies in airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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