If you love festive baking and always seem to have a jar of extra sourdough discard in the fridge during December, these Sourdough Snowball Cookies are about to become your new favourite Christmas treat. Soft, buttery and rolled in clouds of powdered sugar, they are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays. And the best part? They give your sourdough starter discard a delicious purpose while keeping all the magic of a classic Christmas snowball.
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What Are Snowball Cookies?
Snowball cookies are known by many names: Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding Cookies, and even buttery shortbread cookies dusted in "snow". Whichever name you use, the idea is the same. A rich, nutty, melt-in-the-mouth cookie rolled twice in powdered sugar.
Traditionally, they are crumbly, tender and served during the holiday season, often arranged on a Christmas cookie tray with peppermint candy canes and other festive bakes. Their magic lies in their simplicity, their buttery flavour and that unmistakable snowy finish.
Moisture In Discard - A Problem For Cookies?
Classic snowball cookies are famously dry. They contain no eggs, no milk and no water. This is what gives them their crumbly, sandy texture. So how does sourdough discard fit in?
Sourdough discard is 50 per cent water, which means you cannot simply add a large amount without turning the dough sticky or causing the cookies to spread. But here is the good news: a small amount works beautifully. The gentle acidity of the discard tenderises the dough just enough to make these cookies extra soft and melt-in-the-mouth without losing their iconic shape.
Instead of being a problem, the discard gives the cookies a subtle depth that elevates them beyond the original recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: Softened butter is essential for creating a creamy base. Do not substitute with margarine.
- Powdered sugar (icing sugar): Used inside the dough and again for coating.
- Sourdough starter discard: Use discard that smells pleasant and slightly tangy. Avoid discard with hooch on top, as an overly acidic starter can affect both texture and flavour.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Adds warmth and enhances the buttery flavour.
- Pecans and pistachios: Your favourite nuts work here. Macadamia nuts, walnuts or almonds all give delicious results. Just avoid over-processing them.
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour): Provides structure. Weigh using a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Salt: A pinch enhances sweetness and keeps the flavour balanced.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Preheat oven and prepare the tray. Heat your oven to 180°C (350 degrees F). Line a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer on low speed to beat softened butter with powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
3. Add the sourdough discard. Mix in the vanilla extract and sourdough starter discard until just combined.
4. Process the nuts. Blitz pecans and pistachios in a food processor until they are coarse crumbs. Avoid turning them into nut butter.
5. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix nuts, flour and salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a crumbly dough forms. Do not overmix.
6. Shape the cookies. Scoop dough using a cookie scoop or measuring spoon and form 1-inch balls. Roll gently into smooth balls and place onto the baking tray.
7. Bake. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the cookies are set but not golden brown. They should remain pale.
8. Roll in sugar. While warm, roll each cookie carefully in powdered sugar and transfer to a cooling rack.
9. Second sugar coat. Once completely cool, roll in powdered sugar again for the classic snowy finish.
Tips For Best Results
Avoid Old Discard: Discard with sourdough hooch is too acidic and can affect both structure and flavour.
Using a stand mixer? A stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment works beautifully if you prefer hands-off mixing. But I recommend gently folding the dry ingredients into the butter by hand to avoid overmixing and, therefore, tough cookies.
Do not overmix: Overworking the dough can lead to tough, chewy cookies instead of tender, buttery snowballs.
Avoid over-blitzing the nuts: You want coarse crumbs, not nut flour. Over-processing causes the nuts to release oil and makes the dough greasy.
Handle with care: These cookies are extremely delicate while warm. Use a gentle touch when rolling them in sugar to avoid crumbling in your hands.
Coat twice for a snowy finish: Rolling once while warm helps the sugar stick. The second coat gives that iconic powdery look on your sourdough discard snowball cookies.
Storage
Once cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. But fresh cookies taste best!
They also freeze well. Place them in a freezer-safe container or wrap in plastic wrap, then dust again with powdered sugar after thawing if needed.
More Sourdough Discard Cookies
If you love finding new ways to use sourdough discard during the festive season, I have plenty of sourdough cookie recipes that are perfect for gifting, sharing or adding to your Christmas baking list.
Our favourites include:
- sourdough gingerbread cookies
- sourdough lemon crinkle cookies
- sourdough red velvet thumbprint cookies
- sourdough sugar cookies
- sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies
- sourdough peanut butter blossoms
- sourdough chocolate chip cookies
and more. Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
Sourdough Snowball Cookies (Made With Discard)
Equipment
- Food Processor, or a powerful Smoothie Maker, for chopping nuts
Ingredients
- 90 g unsalted butter softened
- 30 g powdered sugar a.k.a icing sugar, plus extra for coating
- 50 g sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 30 g pecans
- 30 g pistachios
- 110 g plain flour all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric handheld mixer, beat softened butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add sourdough discard and vanilla bean paste, and beat again just until combined.
- Place pecans and pistachios in a food processor or a powderful smoothie maker and blitz them into coarse crumbs. Avoid over-blending, or the nuts will release oil and make the dough greasy.
- In a separate bowl, mix the nuts, flour and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix just enough to combine - don't overmix.
- Shape 12-13 balls of dough - 1 tablespoon per cookie - rolling the dough in the palms of your hands, aiming for smooth balls with no cracks in them. TIP: If the dough feels too soft to roll, chill it for 10-15 minutes.
- Place them onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving some space in between.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. They should remain pale on top but lightly golden on the bottom.
- Roll warm cookies in extra powdered sugar and set them on a wire rack to cool down.
- Once cool, roll them in powdered sugar again and enjoy!
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