Cherry Almond Cookies (Snowball Cookies)
These easy, festive Cherry Almond Cookies put a fresh twist on classic Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowball Cookies. With the addition of chopped maraschino cherries, shredded coconut, and crushed almonds, they’re the perfect make-ahead holiday cookie for gifting and parties.
Servings: 45 to 50 cookies
Calories: 95kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds*
- 12 to 13 maraschino cherries to make ⅓ cup coarsely chopped
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar plus more for cookie coating
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Cool, then finely chop, or coarsely grind in a food processor. Set aside.
- Drain cherries on a paper towel. Chop into small pieces. The chopped cherries should measure about ⅓ cup.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter, salt, confectioners' sugar, and extracts until smooth. Mix in flour, coconut, and ground almonds. Finish dough by stirring cherries in by hand.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Roll dough into generous 1-inch balls; place on parchment-lined baking sheets to make 45 to 50 cookies. Bake until bottoms are just golden and cookies are set, about 15 minutes. Cool on pans for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
- To serve, roll cookies in confectioners' sugar. To store, place unsugared cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days; simply roll in confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Notes
* You can use regular sliced almonds too! No need to get blanched unless you want a very white cookie with no flecks of almond skin.
Nutrition
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
