Easy Lemon Snowball Cookies

5 from 1 vote

I love anything lemon, and these Lemon Snowball Cookies are perfection. The combination of fresh lemon zest and an easy to make buttery cookie makes these the perfect bite. With plenty of lemon zest the lemon flavor is strong and delicious.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Chilling Time1

Total Time2 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 134kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

Food Processor
Half Baking Sheet
#60 Cookie Scoop
Digital Scale
Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Cookies

3/4 cup (90 grams) powdered sugar sifted
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons lemon zest about 3 or 4 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups (281 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

Coating

1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

Make the Cookie Dough

The cookie dough can be made in either a food processor or stand mixer.

Food Processor Method

Place the powdered sugar, butter, and salt in the food processor fitted with the metal blade attachment. Zest the lemons directly into the food processor on top of the sugar and butter. Process the ingredients with the metal blade until it looks creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add the vanilla and flour and process until the dough comes together and forms a large ball. This will only take a few seconds, so watch it carefully. There will be some dough on the bottom of the bowl.

Stand Mixer Method

Place the powdered sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the lemons directly into the bowl on top of the other ingredients. Mix the ingredients on medium speed with the paddle attachment until the dough is creamy, 2-3 minutes
Add the vanilla and flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together and starts to form large clumps. This will take a few minutes.
For Both Methods
Scrape the dough into a large bowl and knead the dough together for about 20 seconds. With a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop (aka #60 cookie scoop) measure out the dough and use your hands to shape the dough into balls. Each ball should weigh about 20 grams.
Place the balls on a parchment-lined board or a quarter-sized baking sheet (or other flat surface that will fit in your refrigerator) and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. At this point, you can also freeze the cookies if you want to bake them later (see baking notes).

Bake the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. You can use Silpat but the bottom of the cookies will spread more.
Place 12 cookies on the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes until the bottom edges have barely turned a light golden brown (the bottoms should also be golden brown).
While the cookies are baking sift the powdered sugar into a bowl.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Roll them in powdered sugar while they’re still warm and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling. Allow them to cool to room temperature before coating them with the second coating of powdered sugar.

Store the Cookies

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Then store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Freezing the Dough. This dough is perfect for making ahead and freezing, especially if you plan to make a lot of cookies for Christmas

Flash Freeze: Place the unbaked cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm.

Package in Airtight Container: Transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty, zip-lock freezer bag.

Label and Store: Label the container with the date to keep track of when you stored the cookies. Shortbread dough freezes well for up to 3 months.

Bake from Frozen: Bake the cookies straight from the freezer, but allow an extra 2-5 minutes of baking time.

Nutrition