Description
Soft, buttery snowball cookies with a zesty lemon twist and creamy center melt-in-your-mouth holiday treats dusted generously with powdered sugar for a festive finish.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or almonds (optional)
Powdered sugar, for rolling
Lemon Cream Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
4. Add flour and salt, mixing until a soft dough forms. Stir in chopped nuts if using.
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon cream filling: beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
8. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest; mix until creamy.
9. Once cookies are cooled, gently spread or pipe a small amount of lemon cream between two cookies to make sandwich snowballs.
10. Roll the filled cookies generously in powdered sugar.
11. Chill for 15 minutes before serving for the perfect texture.
Notes
For extra lemon flavor, add a few drops of lemon extract to the filling.
If you prefer classic snowballs, skip the filling and roll the cookies twice in powdered sugar.
Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
These cookies freeze well — dust with powdered sugar again after thawing.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
Keywords: lemon snowball cookies, lemon cream cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas dessert, lemon sandwich cookies