Peppermint Snowball Cookies (GF and Low Carb)
Try this Peppermint Snowball Cookies recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Peppermint Snowball Cookies recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 large egg
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup granulated low carb sweetener (erythritol or fave
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (because we like our balls soft not cr
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt-don't skip this!!!
- 1/2 cup powdered low carb sugar to roll cookies (like swerve)
- 1/3 cup granulated low carb sugar
- 2-3 drops red food color (optional for red sprinkles)
- Carbohydrate 2.20771493055677 g
- Cholesterol 21.9177083376937 mg
- Fat 9.37248694608941 g
- Fiber 1.31026246351004 g
- Protein 1.99240361112835 g
- Saturated Fat 4.56142793854178 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (17g)
- Sodium 32.3762014005705 mg
- Sugar 0.897452467046735 g
- Trans Fat 0.614818264004043 g
- Calories 97 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix granulated sweetener and peppermint extract.
- Add 2-3 drops food coloring and gently cut in, leaving large spots of red. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Cream together the butter and sweetener.
- Add the extract and egg and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, xanthan gum, and salt to distribute evenly.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 1 hour OR scoop 18 dough balls and then chill.
- You may mix the peppermint sugar and cut a tbsp into the dough halfway through the chilling process if you'd like.
- Bake the cookie balls for 10-15 minutes or just until they begin to brown slightly. Remove from oven to cool.
- When cooled just enough to handle, roll in powdered sweetener, then again to add a second layer.
- Sprinkle with red sugar and serve!
Almond flour lacks the structural gluten network of wheat, meaning dough made entirely from nut flours crumbles easily unless hydrated and bound correctly. Bakers frequently ruin this texture by skipping the xanthan gum called for in the formula, resulting in a sandy, crumbly mass that refuses to hold a spherical shape. Fat-to-protein ratios require careful handling when substituting traditional grains with high-oil alternatives like almond and coconut flours. Coarse salt added directly to the dry ingredients acts as a vital flavor stabilizer, counteracting the cooling aftertaste inherent in erythritol-based sweeteners.
Chilling the dough for a full sixty minutes solidifies the butter fats, preventing the cookies from spreading into flat discs on the parchment paper during the first five minutes of baking. Ovens calibrated incorrectly will scorch the exterior before the center sets; maintain a steady three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Pull the batches from the heat the precise moment the bottom edges begin to show a pale golden hue, leaving the centers soft. Over-baking dries out the low-carb flours completely, destroying the crumb structure entirely.
Double-rolling the warm baked goods in powdered sweetener requires precise timing to achieve a durable coating. Applying the first layer while the surface remains slightly warm allows the sugar to melt into a thin adhesive glaze, while the second layer applied after cooling creates the opaque, snowy exterior. Moisture management matters significantly when using hygroscopic sugar alcohols like erythritol, which readily absorb ambient humidity from the air and turn sticky within hours of coating.
Airtight containers stored at room temperature preserve the texture of these confections for up to five days without refrigeration. Plastic storage traps residual moisture and softens the exterior crust, so favor glass containers fitted with a tight rubber gasket. Layer parchment paper between stacked rows to prevent the delicate powdered coatings from rubbing off before serving time.
