Week 1 Winter Elective

• Snowball Almond Cookies

• These almond snowball cookies just melt in your mouth. They are perfect Christmas cookies and look like darling little snowballs.
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• Ingredients:
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• 2 sticks unsalted butter1/2 lb, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus 1 1/2 cups more for rolling cookies
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 tsp fine salt I used fine sea salt
• 1 cup almond meal/ almond flour* or finely ground blanched almonds in a food processor
• 1/2 Tbsp orange zest from 1 medium orange

• Instructions:

  Prep: Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 1 extra large (I LOVE that I can fit them all on this 3/4 size cookie sheet) or use 2 regular cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, cream together 2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla, until smooth.
  2. Switch to paddle attachment and gradually mix in 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Once incorporated, add 1 cup almond meal and 1/2 Tbsp orange zest and mix until well blended. The dough stuck slightly to the spatula but not at all to my hands. If very sticky, add 1-2 Tbsp more flour (I didn't need to).
  3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (a small ice cream scoop makes it easy and exact) and place them on prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. You should get 38-40 cookies. Don't make them too large or they won't bake through properly. Bake 11-13 min, or until bottoms are golden and edges are barely golden (I bake 11 min for softer cookies). Remove from baking sheet and cool 5 min.
  4. Fill a bowl with powdered sugar and roll the cookies in it while they are still warm (not hot). Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Once cookies are at room temp, roll in powdered sugar again or dust the tops with a mini sieve to give them that snowy look.