Description
These Christmas Peppermint Snowball Sugar Cookies are festive, soft, and bursting with peppermint flavor. They feature a tender dough studded with mini chocolate chips, colored with a touch of pink food gel, and rolled in crushed peppermint candies and powdered sugar for the perfect snowy finish. Ideal for holiday celebrations and gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 cups powdered sugar, divided (2 cups and 1 cup)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Add-ins
- 1¼ cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- 5-6 drops hot pink/rose food color gel
- ¼ cup finely crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a bowl thoroughly and set aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat for an additional 1 to 1½ minutes until fluffy.
- Add Extracts: Lower mixer speed to medium-low. Add peppermint and vanilla extracts and mix until incorporated.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Keeping the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually add the flour and cornstarch mixture. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Add Color and Chocolate Chips: Increase the mixer speed to medium, add 5-6 drops of hot pink food color gel, and mix until the color is uniform. Fold in the mini semi sweet chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up for easier handling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper: one for baking the cookies and another for cooling the coated cookies.
- Scoop and Bake Cookies: Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are set.
- Prepare Coating Mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar with the finely crushed peppermint candies.
- Coat Warm Cookies: Remove cookies from oven and let rest on sheet for 5 minutes. Roll each cookie in the powdered sugar and crushed peppermint mixture, then transfer to the second baking sheet.
- Final Coating: Once the cookies are completely cooled, roll them again in the powdered sugar and peppermint mixture for a snowy finish.
Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
- Dough can be made a day ahead and chilled in the refrigerator for convenience.
- Use room temperature butter softened, not melted, to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Double coating the cookies with powdered sugar ensures a bright white, snowy appearance; never coat warm cookies to avoid crumbling.
- Use peppermint extract, not mint extract, to avoid a toothpaste-like flavor.
- Crush peppermint candies easily by placing them inside a Ziploc bag and smashing with a rolling pin.
- Optionally, add 1 tablespoon of crushed peppermints directly into the cookie dough for extra peppermint flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
