Hamdi Saidani Mary Berry Almond Snowballs are a festive and melt-in-the-mouth recipe popular for their buttery, crumbly texture and sweet powdered sugar coating. Ideally, the cookies should be rolled in icing sugar twice—once while warm and once when cool—to ensure a thick, snow-like finish.
Jump to RecipeMary Berry Almond Snowballs Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 100g (4oz) butter, softened
- 50g (2oz) caster sugar
- 100g (4oz) self-raising flour (Mary often uses this for a lighter biscuit crumb)
- 50g (2oz) ground almonds
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional, for extra flavor)
For the Coating
- 100g (4oz) icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar), sifted
How To Make Mary Berry Almond Snowballs
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan/Gas 4). Lightly grease two baking trays or line them with baking parchment.
- Cream the butter: Place the softened butter and caster sugar in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat them together until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir in the almond extract (if using). Add the self-raising flour and ground almonds to the bowl.
- Form the dough: Mix the ingredients together gently. You may need to use your hands to bring the mixture together into a firm, smooth dough. Do not overwork it, or the biscuits will become tough; just knead lightly until smooth.
- Shape the snowballs: Pinch off small pieces of dough (about the size of a walnut, roughly 15-20g each). Roll the dough between your palms to form perfectly round balls. Place them on the prepared baking trays, spacing them slightly apart (they will spread a little).
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes. They should be a pale golden color, firm to the touch, and set. Do not let them turn dark brown.
- First coating: Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for about 3–5 minutes until they are sturdy enough to handle but still warm. Pour the icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Gently roll the warm cookies in the icing sugar to coat them. The heat will melt the sugar slightly, creating a sticky base layer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Second coating: Once the cookies are completely cold, roll them in the icing sugar a second time. This layer will stay powdery and white, giving the “snowball” effect.
Recipe Tips
- Flour choice: Mary Berry often uses self-raising flour for her biscuits (cookies) because it gives them a slightly more open, brittle texture that melts in the mouth, whereas plain flour makes a denser, snappier shortbread.
- Toasting the almonds: For a deeper flavor, you can toast the ground almonds in a dry pan for 2 minutes (until fragrant but not brown) and let them cool before adding to the dough.
- Handling the dough: If the dough feels too sticky to roll, chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes. This solidifies the butter and makes shaping easier.
- The double roll: The first roll in sugar is often messy and looks patchy. Do not skip the second roll once cooled; that is the secret to the professional, snow-white finish.
What To Serve With Mary Berry Almond Snowballs
These delicate cookies are perfect for festive grazing.
- Mulled Wine: A classic Christmas pairing.
- Hot Chocolate: Dip the snowball for a sweet treat.
- Espresso: The bitterness balances the sugar coating.
- Fruit Salad: A light dessert to follow the rich cookies.
How To Store Mary Berry Almond Snowballs
- Store: Keep the snowballs in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep exceptionally well for up to 1 week.
- Freeze (Baked): Freeze the baked cookies without the icing sugar coating. Thaw at room temperature, then roll in sugar before serving.
- Freeze (Dough): You can freeze the raw dough balls on a tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen (add 2–3 minutes to cooking time).
Mary Berry Almond Snowballs Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 95kcal
- Protein: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fat: 6g
- Saturates: 3g
- Sugar: 6g
- Salt: 0.1g
Nutrition information is estimated per snowball (based on 16 cookies).
FAQs
Can I use plain flour?
Yes, if you use plain flour, the texture will be slightly denser and more like traditional shortbread. Add ½ tsp of baking powder if you want to mimic the self-raising texture.
Why did my snowballs flatten?
If the cookies spread into flat discs, the butter was likely too warm or melted before baking. Ensure the butter is softened but not oily, and chill the shaped balls for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is hot.
Can I add chopped nuts?
Yes, for extra crunch, you can add 25g of finely chopped almonds or pecans to the dough in step 3.
Try More Recipes:
- Mary Berry Apple And Almond Cake Recipe
- Mary Berry Cranachan Recipe
- Mary Berry Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Mary Berry Almond Snowballs Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy20
servings15
minutes20
minutes95
kcalDelightful bite-sized almond shortbread balls, double-rolled in icing sugar for a melt-in-the-mouth festive treat.
Ingredients
100g butter, softened
50g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds
½ tsp almond extract
100g icing sugar (for coating)
Directions
- Cream butter and caster sugar until fluffy.
- Stir in flour, ground almonds, and extract.
- Bring dough together with hands.
- Roll into walnut-sized balls.
- Bake at 180°C for 15–20 minutes until pale gold.
- Bake at 180°C for 15–20 minutes until pale gold.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then roll in icing sugar while warm.
- Cool completely, then roll in icing sugar again.
Notes
- Rolling the cookies in sugar while they are still warm allows the first layer to melt slightly and adhere to the cookie, creating a primer for the second layer of “snow.”
- Using self-raising flour is a classic Mary Berry trick for biscuits, providing a lighter, more “shatteringly crisp” texture than plain flour.
- Be gentle when rolling the warm cookies as they are very fragile straight out of the oven and can crumble easily if handled too roughly.