Description

These Cashew Snowball Cookies are delicate, buttery treats featuring a subtle cardamom spice and crunchy cashew nuts. Perfectly crumbly yet tender, these cookies are rolled in confectioners’ sugar to create a sweet, powdery coating that melts in your mouth. Ideal for holiday gatherings or a sophisticated sweet snack, they combine nutty flavor and aromatic spice in every bite.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour (126 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cashew nuts, finely chopped

Wet Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter (115 grams or 1/2 cup), room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar (120 grams), divided

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
Chop Cashews: Finely chop the cashews using a large knife or pulse them briefly in a food processor. Avoid grinding them into powder as some texture is essential to hold the cookies together and provide a pleasant crunch.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix the chopped cashews, all-purpose flour, ground cardamom, and salt thoroughly. Set this mixture aside.
Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric beater, beat the unsalted butter with ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Make the Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture while continuing to mix until the dough forms. The dough should be firm and not sticky; if it is soft, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Shape Cookies: Roll about one tablespoon of dough into a smooth ball. Place each ball onto the lined baking sheet, spacing them about an inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
Bake: Bake the cookies for 15 to 19 minutes until the edges on the bottom turn deep golden brown but the tops remain barely browned, ensuring a tender texture inside. Once baked, transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
Coat in Sugar: Place the remaining confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Gently roll each cooled cookie multiple times in the sugar until evenly coated. For a polished finish, you may sift extra sugar over the coated cookies.

Notes

Do not over-process the cashews to prevent the dough from becoming too powdery and fragile.
Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape better during baking.
Adjust the amount of cardamom based on your preference for spice intensity.
Ensure cookies are completely cool before coating in sugar to avoid melting the sugar coating.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Cashew cookies, snowball cookies, cardamom cookies, buttery cookies, holiday cookies, nutty cookies, powdered sugar cookies