Ingredients
1 1/2 c. (140 g.) walnuts
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 3/4 c. (200 g.) powdered sugar, divided
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. (240 g.) all-purpose flour
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Place walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool 15 minutes.Step 2Process walnuts, salt, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until nuts are finely ground, about 20 seconds. Add butter and vanilla and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add flour and process until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape dough into a large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.Step 3Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out 1 tablespoon dough and roll into a 1" ball. Arrange balls 1 1/2" apart on prepared sheets. Refrigerate remaining dough while first batch bakes.Step 4Bake cookies, rotating sheets front to back halfway through, until cookies are slightly golden brown on the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.Step 5Place remaining 1 cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll cookies in sugar until well coated.
To make the cookies, you’ll start by toasting walnuts until super-fragrant, then blitzing them into flour. This lends a toasted nuttiness to every bite. Pecans and almonds are often used for these cookies too and can be swapped in for the walnuts if you like. You can make the dough and portion out the cookies up to 2 days in advance. Let the dough come to room temperature for 20 minutes before baking. It doesn’t matter when you roll the cookies—whether it’s shortly after they come out of the oven or after they cool. What is important is that you really coat the cookies to give it that classic snowball look. The sugar will then soak in, creating a dappled white coating that looks so pretty on a dessert table.
