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Holiday Baking Countdown: Chocolate Snowballs 3 ways!

A cookie that I usually make every year at the holidays and have since my 20’s are Russian Tea Cakes. They are crunchy, nutty, delicate shortbread-like cookies coated with powdered sugar. They are perfect and hard to improve on. You might know them as Mexican wedding cookies or a different name, but they are usually similar versions of the same cookie, maybe with different nuts and measurements. This year things are different and I thought my cookies should be a bit different too. I decided to make a new version of these cookies that are gluten free and flavored with cocoa and chocolate chips. For the flours, I used a combo of oat flour, gluten free flour and almond flour. If you have an allergen to eggs, these cookies have no eggs, but the nut balls do obviously have nuts and dairy. I think you could successfully sub earth balance for the butter if you wanted to keep these vegan, and you could really many different kinds of nuts. I made these with pecans, but you could use walnuts too. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them, and let me know what you think.

I also created a gluten free chocolate crinkle cookie–the recipe is below. I made these 2 ways, one with less flour and one with more flour and more chocolate. Each was delicious in their own way, it just depends on if you like a compact bit of cakier cookie or a fudgier one. These are so pretty and hold up well, so they make great gifts. The first cookie-the nutballs- don’t travel as well because they are more crumbly. But they are delicious crumbled over coffee ice cream! If I had to choose one of these cookies, it would be the gluten free crinkle, because they are so much like a brownie.

Still planning on making so many others this month:

  1. Gingerbread cutout cookies

  2. Gluten Free Gingerbread cutout version

  3. Gluten Free Sugar Cookie cutouts

  4. Penuche Fudge GF

  5. Chocolate Fudge GF

  6. Maple Marshmallows GF (no corn syrup)

  7. Cinnamon Rolls

  8. Spritz Cookies

  9. Apple Almond Strudel

  10. Christmas champagne Cocktails

  11. Christmas punch

  12. Yule Log

  13. Ginger molasses spice cookies

  14. Pecan or walnut snowballs

  15. Italian cookies

  16. Spice cake

  17. An ode to Boston Cream Pie profiteroles

  18. Gluten Free Cherry Almond Biscotti

  19. Gluten Free Santa Hat Brownies

  20. Popcorn Balls (without corn syrup)

  21. Italian Nougat

Gotta get baking!


Gluten Free Pizzelle Cookies

A wintery snowflake in cookie form-what could be more festive?! These thin waffle cookies are an Italian family tradition we enjoy year after year.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Course: christmas cookies, Cookies, Dessert, holiday, holiday cookies

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Christmas cookies, Cookies, Pizzelle

Servings: 16 cookies

Ingredients

  1. 2 eggs

  2. 1/2 cup sugar

  3. 1 stick butter, melted and cooled

  4. 1/2 tsp anise extract

  5. 1 tsp vanilla

  6. 3/4 tsp baking powder

  7. 1 cup gluten free flour

Instructions


Mix the eggs, sugar and flavoring with a whisk until smooth. Add cooled butter and whisk.


Add flour and baking powder together and whisk out lumps, then add into the butter/egg mixture.


Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot pizzelle griddle. Depending on your make and model, the light will go off and steam will stop when the cookies are done.


Cookies will be lightly golden. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Keep in an airtight container and they will last for weeks. Makes about 16 cookies, but I usually double it!


Gluten Free Molasses Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies

Chewy and full of seasonal goodness! 1 cookie, 2 ways… sugared or frosted.

Cook Time18 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Keyword: Cranberry-ginger, Cream cheese, GF Cookies, Gluten free carrot cake, Molasses, Pumpkin

Servings: 2 dozen

Ingredients

  1. 1/4 cup oat flour

  2. 1 cup gluten free white flour

  3. 1 tsp baking soda

  4. 1 tsp ginger (if you love ginger add 2 tsp chopped candied ginger too)

  5. 3/4 tsp cinnamon

  6. 1/4 tsp cloves

  7. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

  8. 1/8 tsp nutmeg

  9. 1/4 tsp salt

  10. 6 tbsp butter

  11. 4 tbsp cream cheese

  12. 1/2 cup sugar

  13. 1/4 cup brown sugar

  14. 5 tbsp molasses

  15. 4 tbsp pumpkin

  16. 1 egg

  17. 1/2 tsp vanilla or maple syrup for flavoring

  18. 2 tbsp course sugar

Optional maple cream cheese glaze

  1. 2 tbsp cream cheese

  2. 1 Cup powdered sugar

  3. 1 tsp maple syrup

Instructions


Preheat oven to 350°


Mix all dry ingredients in small bowl with a whisk


Combine butter and cream cheese in stand mixer or with beaters until creamy.


Add white and brown sugars and mix until light fluffy.


Add egg and vanilla.


Add molasses and pumpkin until creamy.


Mix in dry ingredients until well combined.

For unfrosted cookie


With a cookie scoop, make balls and roll in the course sugar.


Bake at 350° until golden all over, about 15 minutes. Cookies will be dark golden brown on the bottom. Let cool for 15 minutes or they will be too undercooked–they need to sit for a while.

For frosted cookie


With a cookie scoop, make balls and place on cookie sheet


Bake at 350° until golden all over, about 15 minutes. Cookies will be dark golden brown on the bottom. When they come out of the oven, press down the centers of the cookies just a bit with your a spoon (or the bottom of a spice jar works great) to make a dent to hold the icing. Let cool for 15 minutes or they will be too undercooked–they need to sit for a while. Pool up the icing into the center of the well you made and let sit for another 30 minutes to firm up.


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