Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Maple Walnut Snowballs

Maple Walnut Snowballs (also called Mexican Wedding Cookies) are new twist on my mom’s favorite cookie. The soft, melt-away texture with a subtle maple flavor and dusting of powdered sugar makes them absolutely irresistible!

These cookies are well-loved by many cultures. You may have heard them called “cuernitos” (when shaped like crescents) or “polvorones” (a nod to the sandy texture of the dough), Italian Wedding Cookies, or Russian or Swedish Tea Cakes. Regardless of the name, the concept is the same: a simple, nutty shortbread coated in powdered sugar.

While they’re often served around Christmas time, we love these snowballs any time of year. With their unique round shape and distinct sugar coating, they provide a nice change up from old classics, like Chocolate Chip Cookies, M&M’s Cookies, or Snickerdoodles.

The best part about these Maple Walnut Snowballs is that you only need a handful of ingredients to make them! Then just 12 to 15 minutes in the oven and a dusting of powdered sugar before these are ready to enjoy! Let me know if you get to try them!

Maple Walnut Snowballs

Ingredients

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup (110 g) finely chopped walnuts
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoon maple extract

For rolling:

1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, mix together flour, salt and finely chopped walnuts. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla and maple extract, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add dry ingredients to wet and beat again, just until dough comes together.
Shape dough into 24 1-inch balls. Place 12 balls on each lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Do not brown. Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Let cookies cool slightly before rolling in the powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Make-Ahead Tip:

Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 2 months. Freeze on a flat surface (e.g., parchment lined baking sheet) and then transfer to a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Bake from frozen and add 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
Baked cookies can be frozen (before dusting in powdered sugar) for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter, dust in powdered sugar and serve.

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