I feel fortunate to have been sent a little package from OXO. You know them. They are the ones who make some of the coolest kitchen gadgets ever! I was asked to bake some cookies using their cute little cookie spatula and their colorful measuring beakers. These tools are not just for baking awesome cookies. OXO will donate fifty percent of spatula sales to support Cookies for Kid’s Cancer through the sale of these items.You can order your own “Good Cookie” Spatula or your own Mini Measuring Beakers to help them reach their goal. You can learn more about Cookies for Kid’s Cancer and how to help by hosting a bake sale or purchasing cookies from them.
One of the most popular bake sale cookies is the snowball! There are as many different names for this cookie as there are slight variations. It seems like most every culture has their own, with just a little twist. This is my take on the snowball, incorporating flavors that I love. There’s cardamom, a citrusy, spicy-sweet flavor that pairs well with a little orange flavor. Then the fig filling, an alternative to the date filled variety, adds a tiny crunch against the smooth melt in your mouth cookie.
Cardamom and Fig Snowballs
Ingredients
- 1 slightly heaping C. walnuts
- 2 1/4 C. all purpose flour
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. ground cardamom
- 1 C. unsalted butter
- 1/2 C. + 1 1/4 C. powdered sugar divided
- 2 t. orange liqueur
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- Fig Filling recipe below
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pulse walnuts in the food processor until finely ground.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ground walnuts, flour, salt and cardamom. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, with a mixer, beat the butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the orange liqueur and the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Allow the dough to sit while you make the filling (see below).
- Scoop the dough with a tablespoon size scoop and roll it into a ball in your hands. Push a knuckle into the ball to make an indent. Add 1/8 teaspoon of the fig filling and bring up the sides of the dough, closing the hole. Roll the cookie back into a ball and place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 11 minutes, just until they begin to get color, but not browned.
- When baked, remove the sheet from the oven, and while still warm, roll the cookies in a small bowl with the 1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar until coated. Cool completely on a wire rack, then roll once more.
Notes
1 1/2 T. orange liqueur
In a food processor, pulse the figs and the orange liqueur until smooth and the mixture just begins to form a ball.
Use any orange liqueur you'd like. You can use Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Trip Sec, etc. There are so many! If you've got something against figs...gasp...or just want to make a quick and easy cookie, skip the filling altogether...the recipe still works perfectly!
You don’t say when to add the walnuts. I assume it is in the cookie dough, not the filling.
Thanks so much for catching that! I’ve updated the recipe and you are correct…the ground walnuts do go into the dough.
Hi there,
I just wanted to note that nowhere in the directions does it say when and where to put the walnuts. I guessed it was in the fig filling. We’ll see how they turn out once I pull them from the oven.
Sorry for the confusion, Nikki! I did update the recipe. The ground walnuts go into the cookie dough.
Great! Can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Looks delicious. Are you using dried figs?
Thanks so much, Renee. Yes, I do use dried figs in this recipe.
I wish I found this website sooner lol..this is MY KIND of cookie :) I really appreciate you sharing these great recipes ..or I wouldn’t have any idea how to cook or bake!