Snowball Cookies

What's better than holiday baking? Truly nothing, in my opinion. Baking is such a special way to share your love with the people you love. Snowball cookies are a holiday classic but I've added a little twist! Almond flavor is a nostalgic flavor to most-- found in Italian cookies and biscotti, in the middle of stollen bread and danishes. So pairing the nostalgia of Christmas and this flavor only make sense! Read on for the recipe: 

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of salted butter at room temperature (I microwaved 2 sticks for roughly 20 seconds to get this)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (sub for pecans or almonds!)
  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Powdered sugar for coating

Instructions: 

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and prep two baking sheets with parchment paper
• In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer whip the butter until broken up and soft
• Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the butter and mix until fluffy (about 3 minutes)
• With the mixer on medium-low, add the almond extract and mix for another minute
• Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time with speed on medium-low
• With the mixer on medium, add nuts and mix for 3-4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is getting mixed (desired texture will be crumbly) 
• Shape the dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons worth) 
• Bake for 15-18 minutes once you see a little browning on the bottom of the cookies (cookies will keep their shape)
• While the cookies are baking, prep a bowl with powdered sugar. While the cookies are warm, drop them in the powdered sugar and coat OR sift powdered sugar over the cookies! 
• Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!