Last Updated on December 24, 2020 by Liza Hawkins
Growing up, the women on my dad’s side always got together to make Christmas cookies. It was a day full of sugar cookies with powdered sugar icing, pinwheels, mini chocolate chip cookies and powdered sugar covered snowball cookies, all beautifully arranged in Christmas-themed cookie tins. We made the same four kinds of Christmas cookies every single year, which is exactly what you want with a holiday tradition, especially when you’re a kid. Those snowball cookies were one of my favorites, and this update to a classic recipe — almond lime snowball cookies — is the perfect, festive holiday recipe to add to your cookie list.
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A few years ago, I was invited to a cookie exchange brunch where you bring six dozen of one type of cookie, and then you leave with an assortment of six dozen other cookies.
Pretty sweet!
I decided to make the powdered sugar coated snowball cookies, but with a twist: lime and almonds.
I bought the cheapest “cut” of almond at the store, and then rough chopped before adding them to the dry ingredients.
I used the zest and juice from two limes, and added them right in the dough as well.
The cookie dough was rolled into one-inch balls (give or take), and then instead of using a regular baking sheet, I used my mini muffin tin.
It worked perfectly, and I didn’t have to worry about the balls rolling around! Genius.
Once they were done baking, I let the almond lime snowball cookies cool for about five minutes in the mini muffin tin.
If you try removing them earlier they kind of explode, so even if you’re impatient (like me) just wait. TRUST ME.
After five minutes, I rolled them around in powdered sugar before letting the cookies cool completely on a baking rack.
Then they got one last dredge in powdered sugar.
These are SO good, and such an easy Christmas cookie to start a baking tradition in your house. Happy holidays!
Almond Lime Snowball Cookies
These almond lime snowball cookies will delight your friends and family!
Ingredients
- 2 cups salted butter (4 sticks), softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sliced almonds, chopped
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Add all the ingredients (including the lime zest/juice) EXCEPT the powdered sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
- Form the dough into 1" balls and drop them into the slots of a mini muffin tin. (Placing them on a baking sheet works fine too, if you don't have a mini muffin tin.)
- Bake the almond lime snowball cookies for 18-22 minutes, or until they are lightly golden on top. Remove the pans from the oven, and let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes before you try and take them out.
- Coat each almond lime snowball cookie in powdered sugar, and then set them on a baking rack to cool completely. Coat them one last time in powdered sugar.
Notes
Store the almond lime snowball cookies in an airtight container or bag.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 296Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g
You call these Almond Lime Snowballs and in your description you tell how much “lime juice and zest” you used but you didn’t add those amount into the printable recipe.
You are correct – I left if off the ingredients list! It has been corrected. 🙂
So super yum!I love lime, I love almonds.
I think these look great and I am adding them to my list of cookies to try. I have never been a part of a cookie exchange, but I am hoping to do that next year.
I made these last night (with a few minor changes) and they are delicious. The few other lime snowball recipes I’d found reviewers had said they were a bit bitter, but these turned out fantastic with the right amount of lime flavor. Thank you so much!
My changes: I only used 1 lime because I had bought key lime oil while in Key West, so I used a small amount of that and only about 1 tsp vanilla (my mistake, trying to make by memory).
Debbie – I’m drooling over the thought of “key lime oil” in these cookies. YUM!
Yum! I just made these and they turned out great. I used pecans instead of almonds because of a food allergy. They have a nice tang that is offset by the powdered sugar and were pretty easy to make. A nice addition to my holiday cookie tray, thanks!
Great!! So glad you enjoyed them!