Snowball Cookies – Deditos de Novia
Just today I discovered the name in English for the cookies I know as deditos de novia, snowball cookies.
It just makes sense since they are covered in powdered sugar.
Anyway, the thing is that these cookies are amazing. You’re gonna love them. They’re gonna disappear in no time, guarantee.
So one of the traditions in Mexico, from where I come from is that you bake cookies during Christmas time and you give them as a Christmas present to teachers, family or friends. Pretty much is like an exchange of cookies all month of December.
Snowball cookies are part of that tradition. The recipe that I’m going to share with you it’s very simple and it’s very delicious. Also, you can make a lot of little snowball cookies just from one recipe. For example from this recipe, I got about 60 cookies. So, if you double the recipe you will get 120 little rounds which is a lot of cookies. I say little but in reality, it is a 2 bites size cookie.
Ingredients for snowball cookies:
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Egg
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon * optional
- Powdered sugar to toss the cookies.
- Pecans
You might like Pan de Polvo or Mexican Wedding cookies.
How to make grade Snowball cookies.
How to make these cookies is very simple and straightforward, there is nothing complicated about this recipe. You start by creaming the butter and sugar together.
Once everything is mixed you’re going to incorporate the egg and the vanilla. The next step will be to add the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, and the cinnamon if you are using any.
You can add all these ingredients in two intervals. You’re going to see the dough looks dry and for that, we’re going to add some milk. I added 2 tablespoons of milk, which helped the dough to come together.
It is time to add the pecans and mix them well in the dough.
If you do not have milk, you can add some water and that will work too.
I ended up kneading the dough with my hands which helped by making the dough more “ compact”.
To make cookies all the same size I used a cookie dough scoop. The Diameter for it is 1.125 inches which is equivalent to 2 teaspoons. I rolled them out between my hands and place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat.
M&M Soft Cookies
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Baking the deditos de novia.
Bake the cookies at 350° for about 17 to 18 minutes, they are not going to change their shape pretty much.
Once they are baked I remove them from the oven, put them on the countertop and let them rest/cool down for about 30 minutes. Once the cookies are completely cool toss them in powdered sugar. Set them aside and hide a couple of them.
You can play with the flavors a little bit more just by adding different spices like cinnamon or powdered anise.
Video tutorial to make Snowball Cookies
Snowball Cookies / Deditos de Novia
Snowball Cookies / Deditos de Novia is a traditional cookie for the holidays. In some regions, they are used as wedding dessert.
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (about 1 lb)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp cinnamon * optional
- 1 cup pecans pieces
Sugar coating
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
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In a bowl cream the butter and the sugar.
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Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
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On a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
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Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture.
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Adding pecan pieces and mix well.
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Add milk. Start by adding 2 tbsp. and add more as needed until you can form little balls.
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Make round by using a 2 tablespoon scooper and form them between your hands.
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Place them on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
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Bake at 350 °F for 17 – 18 minutes.
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Once baked get them out of the oven and let them cool completely before tossing them in the powdered sugar.
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Toss them in the powder sugar and they are ready.
