Description
These Mint Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies are buttery, tender, and bursting with refreshing mint flavor and mini chocolate chips. Coated generously in powdered sugar, they are perfect for holiday treats or any time you crave a sweet, minty cookie.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mint extract (or peppermint extract)
- green food coloring (gel food color works best)
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
Coating
- additional powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- Prepare baking sheet: Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside to prevent sticking and make clean-up easier.
- Cream butter and sugar: Beat the softened butter and sifted powdered sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth base for the dough.
- Mix dry ingredients and extract: Add the all-purpose flour, salt, and mint extract to the butter mixture, stirring just until combined to form a soft dough.
- Add color: Incorporate green gel food coloring a few drops at a time until the dough reaches your desired shade of minty green.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Stir in the mini chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough for bursts of chocolate in every bite.
- Shape dough: Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into balls, placing them spaced on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Chill dough: Cover the cookie sheet and refrigerate the dough balls for at least 30 minutes to help maintain their shape during baking.
- Preheat oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Bake cookies: Bake the dough balls for 7 to 8 minutes, taking care that they become only very lightly browned on the bottom to keep them tender and snowball-like.
- Cool on sheet: Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet after removing from the oven to firm up slightly.
- Prepare coating area: Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it liberally with powdered sugar to coat the cookies evenly.
- Coat cookies: Transfer the slightly cooled cookies onto the powdered sugar-dusted sheet and dust the tops with additional powdered sugar.
- Cool completely: Allow the cookies to cool fully to room temperature for the best texture and flavor.
- Final powder coating: Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and individually roll each cooled cookie in the sugar until fully coated, creating a classic snowball appearance.
- Store: Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to four days to maintain freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant color without altering the dough consistency.
- Do not overbake; cookies should remain pale with only slight browning on the bottom.
- Chilling the dough is essential to keep the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Coating in powdered sugar adds sweetness and the signature snowball look, so be generous.
- Store cookies in a cool, dry place to keep them fresh for several days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Mint Chocolate Chip, Snowball Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Christmas Cookies, Butter Cookies, Mint Extract Cookies
