Description
Delightful cherry pistachio snowballs blend Middle Eastern and winter holiday flavors into one charming cookie. Sweet spherical treats coat pistachios and dried cherries with powdered sugar, creating a festive dessert you’ll savor with pure culinary joy.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (474 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120 ml) chopped maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
- ½ cup (60 g) finely chopped pistachios
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar (plus more for rolling)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep Ingredients: Dice dried cherries into uniform, small pieces and roughly chop pistachios to create textural variety and enhance flavor complexity.
- Combine Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, blend chopped cherries, pistachios, shredded coconut, and vanilla extract thoroughly, ensuring even distribution of ingredients.
- Form Dough: Incorporate sweetened condensed milk into the mixture, stirring until a cohesive, pliable dough emerges that holds its shape when manipulated.
- Shape Confections: With moistened hands, roll the mixture into compact one-inch spheres, preventing excessive sticking and maintaining consistent size.
- Sugar Coating: Generously envelop each dough ball in powdered sugar, creating a pristine, snow-white exterior that mimics delicate winter frost.
- Chill and Set: Arrange sugar-coated orbs on a parchment-lined tray, refrigerate for 30 minutes to solidify structure and allow flavors to meld intensely.
- Store and Serve: Transfer the Cherry Pistachio Snowballs to an airtight container, where they will remain fresh and delectable for up to a week, ready for spontaneous enjoyment.
Notes
- Prevent Sticky Dough: Lightly wet hands with cold water when forming balls to stop mixture from clinging to fingers, ensuring smooth, uniform snowballs.
- Precise Chopping Technique: Cut cherries and pistachios consistently to maintain balanced texture and flavor distribution throughout each bite.
- Strategic Cooling Method: Refrigerate snowballs for exactly 30 minutes to set shape and intensify flavor melding without compromising delicate texture.
- Storage Intelligence: Use airtight container when storing to preserve moisture and prevent sugar coating from absorbing ambient humidity, maintaining fresh taste for maximum 7 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 149
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 28 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg