Nothing signals Christmas quite like a snowball cookie. Whether you call them Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, polvorones, or something else entirely, they’re an essential part of holiday baking. The nutty, shortbread-style cookies can come in several iterations, typically with different types of nuts. You can usually find snowballs made with walnuts or pecans, but this version opts for hazelnuts as well as everybody’s favorite hazelnut-based spread: Nutella.
Snowballs are a breeze to bake, and adding a melty and decadent Nutella center is much easier than you’d think. The secret is portioning and chilling your Nutella into bite-sized balls, then stuffing them in the center of each piece of cookie dough. You should definitely anticipate getting your hands dirty when measuring the Nutella balls. But here’s a pro tip: Chilling your jar of Nutella in the fridge beforehand will make the process much easier.
In this recipe, we call for toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts. You may be able to find pre-toasted nuts at the supermarket, but we suggest buying raw hazelnuts and toasting them yourself. We give you instructions on how to toast at home. It does require more work, but the cozy and fragrant flavor can’t be replicated with pre-toasted nuts.
One batch of this recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. And in my experience, they get eaten quickly (especially around the holiday season). They’re also easy to store and will stay good at room temperature for a week, which makes them perfect options for a Christmas cookie swap or as a homemade holiday gift.
Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think.