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Buttery and crumbly walnut 'snowball' cookies coated in icing sugar

Walnut Snowball Cookies (Eggless)

Buttery and crumbly walnut 'snowball' cookies coated in icing sugar
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 10 to 12 cookies
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup walnuts (65 gms; see notes)
  • 1/2 cup butter at room temp (115 gms)
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar (35 gms)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (135 gms)
  • Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sifted icing sugar for rolling (220 gms)

Instructions

  • First, grind the walnuts in a blender or food processor until they turn into a coarse flour consistency. Some bigger bits are fine, but make sure you don't process them too much or the walnuts will turn into a sticky mass.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  • Add the flour and mix it in. Finally, add the ground walnuts and stir to combine into a soft, sticky dough.
  • Use a cookie scoop (recommended) or your hands to form 10 to 12 equal sized portions of the dough, placing them 1 inch apart on a silicone mat lined baking tray (or just grease the tray). They will flatten a little in the oven anyway, so I prefer to use a cookie scoop here instead of worrying about making perfect rounds.
  • Place the tray in the fridge and chill for 30 minutes. Chilling is mandatory to ensure the cookies retain their shape.
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 175 C. Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 mins until the bottoms have flattened a little bit, and the tops and edges are lightly browned.
  • Set aside to cool for 5 mins. Spread the sifted, powdered sugar out onto a large, flat plate and roll the still-hot cookies in it, coating them all over. Transfer to a wire wrack to cool completely, then roll one more time and eat the whole batch!
  • These cookies taste best fresh in my opinion but can be stored at room temperature in an airtight tin for 4 to 5 days, or frozen. Happy baking and happy Christmas!

Notes

*If you'd like to toast the walnuts (not necessary but it deepens the flavour), bake them in a single layer on an ungreased baking tray at 200 C for 8 to 10 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Cool, then proceed with the recipe.
*Icing sugar helps bind the dough and dissolves easily, which is why it's used instead of caster or granulated sugar here.
*Adapted from Sally's Baking AddictionÂ