I have so many awesome yet kinda ballsy names for these cookies – ready? Crack cookies, or wait, it gets better – Yellow Snow.
Not even joking – if white chocolate and key lime flavors are your jam – these cookies are a HIT. Because not all Holiday cookies are created equal – they don’t have to be rich, dark, warm-y, chocolate-y goodness all the time. These are still rich, light, soft, sticky gooey, and packed full of zesty tropical flavors – you’ll rethink serving key lime pie at your Holiday gathering with these cookies.
This recipe derived from what was going to be my original Key Lime Snowball Cookies, but then soon realized that these cookies didn’t appear so white. The white chocolate melted actually has a hint of yellow to it. And that was how the Yellow Snow concept was born. But let me tell you – if you want to make your Holiday guests scratch their heads and laugh, this will do just the trick. But once they taste them, they’ll never forget the name and you’ll be requested to make these cookies year-round!
Cracked key lime snowball cookies with white chocolate glaze
Yellow Snow Key Lime Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pkg cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg [yolk only]
- 1 1/2 cup sugar granulated or cane sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt or eyeball a "pinch"
- 2 tbsp lime zest freshly grated (get 3-4 limes, or 4-5 "key limes")
Yellow Snow cookie drizzle ingredients
- 3 tbsp lime juice from fresh limes
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips/bark
Separate ingredients to set aside
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
Instructions
Cookie dough prep instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In your standing electric mixer, add in 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) and 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature) and blend until creamy on medium speed.
- Then add 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the mixture on medium speed until soft and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Grate and squeeze 2 tbsp lime zest and 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice into the mixture, as well as 1 tsp vanilla.
- Once incorporated, on low speed, add in one large egg and one large egg yolk.
- On low speed, slowly add in flour mixture (in small parts), allowing each part to fully incorporate in between. The dough will become very sticky – this is what you want.
- Allow dough to refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. *THIS IS KEY*
The rolling and baking of the cookies
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Get together a small bowl with 1 cup confectioners sugar. Begin by spooning out tbsp size balls of dough into your hands. They might be difficult to roll (being sticky), so it helped to toss the dough into the confectioners first, then begin rolling. BUT, be sure to roll the ball back into confectioners BEFORE placing on a lined baking sheet.
- Space each ball about 2 inches apart. No squishing or smashing is required, just bake them as balls.
- Bake for no longer than 14 to 14:30 minutes – otherwise the bottoms will brown and burn quickly!
- The dough will and is expected to "crack" and create grooves for adding the white chocolate lime glaze over top once they are cooled. If you notice the confectioners isn't prevalent, it's because you rolled the balls in your hands too much and the dough had soaked up the confectioners. Again, make sure to roll the ball in the confectioners right before placing on the baking sheet.Â
Making and drizzling the white chocolate lime "yellow snow" glaze
- Begin by boiling a small pot of water (filling with water about 1/3 of the way). Bring the boil to a simmer boil, then leave on low heat the rest of the time being. In a small metal bowl that will fit into the pot, add in white chocolate chips, or bark, with 1/4 cup of unsalted butter.
- Allow to melt completely, then add 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp lime juice (more or less depending on your desired "limeness"). Stir regularly on low heat.
- Once glaze has melted, top stir in 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar. This will turn the glaze more into a "frosting-like" glaze. If you would prefer the glaze to harden at cool/room temp, nix the confectioner's.
- Then drizzle about a spoon-full (approx. 1 tbsp) off each cookie, allowing it to run down and between the cracks.
- Store cookies sealed at room temperature, or in the fridge. These make great freezer cookies, too!
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