Whip up a blizzard of sunshine with these incredibly soft gluten free lemon snowball cookies!Ā The small batch melt-in-your-mouth cookies are bursting with lemon and dusted with powdered sugar snow.Ā A delicious counterpart to theĀ pecan snowball cookiesĀ and festive addition to your Christmas cookie platter!
Gluten Free Lemon Snowball Cookies
I love the addition of a bright Christmas cookie amongst all the decadent chocolate crinkles, chocolate dipped sugar cookies, and peanut butter blossoms.Ā This small batch of lemon snowball cookies is a welcome addition with their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and zesty lemon flavor.
And if you like lemon cookies for Christmas, be sure to check out my lemon crinkles and frosted lemon drops as well!
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Snowball Cookies
- Super soft cookie – The flavorful almond flour blend combines with butter to yield a soft – and tasty – cookie!
- Buttery – The lemon snowball cookies rely on butter for their flavor and texture.Ā With that, buttery taste is a guarantee!
- Fresh lemon shines – We use lemon juice and lemon zest in the cookies to get a pronounced lemon flavor.
- Easy to make – You only need a few ingredients to make the cookies.Ā Plus, no eggs or leaveners are required!
- Easy to store – The baked cookies freeze well, and you can also freeze the dough.Ā Ā
- Incredibly festive for Christmas – The powdered sugar gives the cookies a freshly dusted with snow, ethereal look.Ā Ā
Everything You Need To Make Lemon Snowball Cookies
only a few Ingredients!
- Almond Flour – I recommend blanched almond flour because is ground finer and without the skins.
- Tapioca Flour – Tapioca combines with the almond flour to make an incredibly soft cookie.Ā You can swap for arrowroot flour as well.
- Salt – A little salt will balance and enhance the flavor of the lemon snowball cookies.
- Butter – We use unsalted butter since we add our own salt.Ā The butter is what gives these snowball cookies their melt-in-your mouth texture.
- Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar will keep the snowballs super light and airy.
- Vanilla – A little for flavor!
- Lemon Zest and Juice – 1 lemon will give you enough zest and juice for the cookies.Ā You can omit the zest and use bottle lemon juice – though the cookies won’t be as bright.
Baking Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer – See the recipe for notes on how to use your stand mixer for the small batch cookie recipe!
- Baking Sheet Lined with Parchment
Bright, fresh lemon juice and zest add zesty citrus to the soft Christmas lemon snowball cookies.Ā Fresh lemon paired with the buttery soft cookie give your holiday cookie platter a refreshing option!
Tips For Success
- Use a fresh lemon – To achieve the robust lemon flavor, a fresh lemon for the juice and zest will make the cookies shine with citrus.
- Chill the dough – As a butter cookie, the dough needs time to chill to let the dough firm.Ā Plus, a little time in the refrigerator will also hydrate the dough and develop flavor.
- Don’t make the cookies too large – Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out the dough.Ā If the cookies are too large, the centers will be too soft.Ā
- Two coats of powdered sugar – The first coat when the cookies are warm will help the second coat adhere to the cookies.
FAQ
Yes, you can easily double the recipe!
Cover and store the cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Yes! Place the cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
I can’t say for certain, but I will say, I find the 1:1 gf blends to be much drier. This may require adjustments to other ingredients and ratios.
You don’t. However, the reason why I do it is to get a liberal covering of powdered sugar. The first coat while the cookies are still warm will make the second coat stick better.
Gluten Free Lemon Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- Ā¾ cup blanched almond flour
- Ā¼ cup tapioca flour
- ā teaspoon salt
- 3 Ā½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- Ā¼ cup powdered sugar (plus 3 tablespoons for dusting)
- Ā½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 small lemon)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, and salt.Ā¾ cup blanched almond flour, Ā¼ cup tapioca flour, ā teaspoon salt
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Using a hand held mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Continue to beat on medium speed until smooth and combined. NoteĀ ā see the Notes below for using the stand mixer.3 Ā½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, Ā¼ cup powdered sugar, Ā½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- In increments, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the butter mixture and beat on low speed until all of the flour has been added. Once all the flour is added, turn the speed up to medium and beat until all the flour is incorporated, no dry streaks remain, and a moistened dough forms.Ā NoteĀ ā The dough will seem dry as you're adding and mixing in the flour, but continue to mix and a dough will form.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, the 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop and roll into a ball 12 cookies. Place on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the edges turn light golden brown.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire cooling rack for 5 to 7 minutes. Then (carefully if still very warm), roll the cookies through the powdered sugar and set on the wire rack to cool completely. The first powdered sugar coating may melt into the cookies, and that's ok!
- Roll the cooled cookies through the powdered sugar one more time for the pretty powdered sugar coating. The cookies can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled.
- Yield – The recipe as written using a tablespoon to portion the dough will yield 12 cookies.Ā I do not recommend making the cookies larger, as the center of the cookies may bake too soft.
- Stand MixerĀ ā You can use your tilt head stand mixer and the standard attachments with aĀ small 3 quart mixing bowl.Ā The small mixing bowl is more effective for small batch recipes.Ā Otherwise, the regular size mixing bowl may not mix the butter effectively (it will just smear it along the side of the bowl!)
- Chill The DoughĀ ā Because of the butter, the cookie dough does need time in the refrigerator to allow it to chill and firm.Ā Otherwise, the cookies may spread/melt when baked.
- Freezing the Cookies – Baked and coated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.Ā Place in a freezer bag, and thaw at room temperature.
- Freezing Cookie Dough – The lemon snowball cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.Ā Form into the cookie balls after chilling and place in a freezer bag.Ā Thaw in the refrigerator.Ā Or the cookie dough balls can be baked frozen – add 1 or 2 extra minutes to bake.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
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