Bavarian delight: Baking snowball cookies with the family
White Christmas is a dream for many of us. We'll see how it goes this year and whether the desired white fluff will fall. My cousin brings the winter atmosphere into the kitchen and bakes snowball cookies every year. They are a charming table decoration and taste delicious.
Snowball cookies are immediately associated with German cuisine. "Schneeballen" are baked in Rothenburg, Bavaria. These crumbly cookies, fried in deep fat and formed into a ball, have been around since 1719. Today, they are a local culinary attraction. Their preparation is not simple. However, based on these cookies, or rather their shape, many other recipes have been created.
Perfect to make with kids
My cousin bakes snowball cookies with her children, so she uses a simple recipe. It's a great idea for spending pre-holiday time with the little ones, with lots of fun and joy, just like when baking gingerbread cookies. The dough that forms the cookies is soft and pliable, so everyone can shape it into balls.
Lots of powdered sugar
Even though finely chopped nuts are added to the dough, they remain soft after baking. You can supplement the ingredients with other favourite additions, like chocolate chips or orange zest. However, when it comes to decoration, there’s only one way. The balls must be generously dusted with powdered sugar.
Snowball cookies from my cousin's recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup soft butter,
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar,
- 1 egg yolk,
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour,
- 2 teaspoons cream, optionally,
- 1 cup roasted favourite nuts, e.g., hazelnuts, walnuts, or cashews,
- finely chopped orange zest, optionally,
- vanilla extract to taste, optionally,
- a pinch of salt,
- a pinch of cinnamon,
- powdered sugar for decoration.
Instructions:
- Cut the butter into smaller pieces, add the powdered sugar, and beat thoroughly using a mixer or food processor until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, and vanilla to the mixture and knead the dough. If it's too dry, add cream.
- Finely chop the nuts and add them to the mixture along with the zest. Briefly knead the dough again.
- Form balls from the dough about the size of a walnut. Place them on a baking sheet lined with paper.
- Bake them at 190 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes. The cookies should be fairly pale.
- While still warm, sprinkle with a layer of powdered sugar, and add another layer once they’ve cooled.
