Candy Cane Snowball Cookies

• Vegetarian

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp Peppermint extract, pure
  • 1/2 cup Powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1 cup Almonds, toasted

• Dairy

  • 1 cup Butter, unsalted

• Desserts

  • 2/3 cup Candy canes or peppermint candies

Found on wellplated.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup toasted almonds, pecans, or walnuts, toasted and finely ground (I used almonds and love the way their flavor turned out with the white chocolate. My grandma used pecans)
• 6 ounces chopped white chocolate or white chocolate candy melts (do not use white chocolate chips as they contain stabilizers and may not melt properly, and ensure that cocoa butter is the primary ingredient in the brand you select)
• 2/3 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies (I crushed mine in a food processor)

Directions

• With an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour and salt, then the nuts until evenly blended. Divide the dough in half, form each half into a disk, then wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. With a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are just set but not yet brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely (if you would like to roll some of the cookies in powdered sugar to make a traditional version of snowball cookies without the chocolate and peppermint, do so now while the cookies are still warm. Leave any cookies youd like to top with chocolate plain and let cool.) In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the white chocolate. Ensure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and that the water doesnt bowl. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each and watching carefully so that the chocolate doesnt burn. When the chocolate is nearly melted, remove it from the heat (or microwave) and stir until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookies into the white chocolate, then immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies while the chocolate is still wet. Transfer to a plate to let the chocolate set. Enjoy!