Description
Delicate lemon cardamom snowball cookies blend zesty citrus with warm spice for a luxurious winter treat. Sweet, buttery rounds dusted with powdered sugar melt smoothly, inviting you to savor each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (130g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113g) butter (plant-based or regular), softened
- ⅓ cup (40g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 lemon zest (large or 2 small)
- ½ tsp lemon extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar (for topping)
- Lemon zest (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Prepare Workspace: Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper, creating an optimal surface for cookie formation.
- Create Butter Base: Cream butter and powdered sugar until silky smooth, developing a rich foundational mixture for the cookies.
- Enhance Flavor Profile: Incorporate salt, vanilla, almond extract, ground cardamom, and lemon zest, infusing the dough with aromatic complexity.
- Form Dough: Gently fold flour into the mixture, stirring until a consistent, compact dough emerges with a uniform texture.
- Shape Cookies: Roll dough into petite, symmetrical spheres, maintaining precision in size and configuration for even baking.
- Initial Baking: Arrange cookie spheres on prepared sheet, positioning them with slight separation, and bake for 8-10 minutes until edges turn delicately golden.
- Sugar Coating Process: Remove cookies from oven and allow brief cooling, then delicately tumble each warm cookie in powdered sugar, ensuring complete coverage.
- Finishing Touches: Transfer coated cookies to cooling rack, optionally applying a second sugar dusting for enhanced visual appeal and sweetness.
- Presentation and Storage: Optionally garnish with additional lemon zest, then preserve in airtight container at room temperature for maximum freshness up to 5 days.
Notes
- Chill Dough for Precision: Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before shaping to prevent sticky hands and ensure more uniform cookie balls.
- Master the Sugar Coating: Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar immediately after baking for the best adhesion and classic snowball look.
- Handle with Care: Use a light touch when shaping and coating to maintain the delicate texture of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
- Zest Freshness Matters: Grate lemon zest just before adding to the recipe to capture the most vibrant citrus oils and maximum flavor punch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 22
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg