Peppermint Snowballs

Wow! I've found a new favorite Christmas cookie - Peppermint Snowballs!

These little cookies are buttery, crumbly little shortbread balls with an incredible creamy, crunchy peppermint filling.

The combination is amazing and you won't be able to stop eating these bite-sized wonders.

I really had to take photos quickly because someone kept throwing the little cookies into my mouth.

They're best cooled completely and are terrific frosted or not. I had some leftover filling and didn't want to waste it, so I piped it on top of the cookies and sprinkled a little more topping on them. They look so pretty.

The cream cheese along with the crunchy peppermints makes a flavorful filling and a nice contrast with the crumbly shortbread cookie. Be careful when rolling them and make sure and seal in the filling so it doesn't leak out when baking.

These are easy to make, but initially takes a little investment in time rolling the little balls, filling them, re-rolling the balls and rolling them in the topping. Get the kiddos, whether they're 10 or 30, to help you crush the peppermints and roll the cookies. It'll be a fun family activity if they're 'holiday bored.'

By the way, I crushed the peppermints by putting about 20 of them in a zip-lock bag and bashing them with my trusty meat mallet. Makes a lot of noise and is a great stress reliever. Scared my husband and cats and they distanced themselves from me for awhile, but these little Peppermint Snowballs are so worth it. Fan-tas-tic!

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Peppermint Snowballs

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Refrigeration: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 36 minutes

Delicious little shortbread cookies with a fantastic peppermint cream filling. Addictive and outstanding!

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Ingredients

• 1 C butter, softened (2 sticks)
• ½ C powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ C all-purpose flour
• Filling:
• 2 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
• ½ C powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon milk
• 3 tablespoon crushed peppermint candy
• 1 drop red food coloring (optional)
• Topping:
• ½ C crushed peppermint candy
• ½ C powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the flour into the butter mixture and mix well. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured counter top and knead lightly for a minute, then shape into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling in a medium bowl. Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, crushed candy, and food coloring (optional) until well blended. Set aside
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Roll the dough into balls (about 1 teaspoon). Make an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with ¼ tsp. of filling. Flatten another ¼ tsp. of dough into a thin disk and cover the filling, pinching together the edges. Roll the filled dough carefully back into a ball.
4. Combine the topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Roll the dough balls in the topping and place on the cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes. (They'll be light in color and golden brown on the bottom, so don't over bake.)
5. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 1 or 2 minutes, then roll the cookies in the topping again to get a snowy effect. ( If you have filling left over, put it into a zip-lock bag, snip the corner and lightly frost the tops of the snowballs. Sprinkle lightly with leftover powdered sugar/peppermint topping for a more snowy look.)

Notes

Make the first little ball pretty small, as you'll be putting another layer of dough over the top of the filling and the cookie can become a little too big.  Bite-sized is perfect for these little snowballs.

Make extra filling if you want the frosting on top, too.  The cookies are great without the frosting, but they look so pretty for a holiday platter if you add it.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate