Description
Delightful gingerbread snowball cookies offer a festive winter escape with their warm spices and powdery sugar coating. Crumbly, buttery morsels melt in your mouth, bringing holiday cheer to sweet-seeking souls.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)
Spices and Seasonings:
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatic base by whipping softened butter and powdered sugar until achieving a cloud-like, ethereal texture. Introduce vanilla extract and rich molasses, blending until the mixture becomes silky and uniform.
- In a separate vessel, meticulously sift together flour, ground ginger, warming cinnamon, fragrant nutmeg, piquant cloves, and a delicate pinch of salt, ensuring thorough integration of spices.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stirring with precision until a tender, cohesive dough emerges. Adjust consistency by incorporating additional flour if the mixture appears overly moist.
- Encase the dough in protective wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, permitting the flavors to meld and the texture to firm.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Craft uniform spheres approximately one inch in diameter, positioning them carefully on a parchment-lined baking surface with ample spacing.
- Bake the delicate morsels for 10-12 minutes, watching for a subtle golden hue developing at the base and a set appearance on top. Allow cookies to recuperate on the baking sheet momentarily before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Once completely cooled, lovingly enrobe each cookie in a generous blanket of powdered sugar, creating a pristine, snow-kissed exterior. For an extra touch of winter wonderland, consider a secondary sugar dusting just before serving.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain their delicate, crumbly texture and prevent them from drying out.
- Swap out traditional flour for gluten-free alternatives like almond or rice flour to make these cookies suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
- Enhance the warming spice profile by toasting ground spices briefly in a dry skillet before adding them to the dough, which intensifies their aromatic qualities and deepens the flavor complexity.
- For a festive twist, add finely chopped crystallized ginger or orange zest to the dough to create an unexpected burst of flavor that complements the traditional gingerbread spices.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 30 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg