If you’re looking to get yourself into a properly cozy state for the colder months, you will need some wonderfully buttery, lightly spiced cookies to warm your heart and delight your palate. These Nutmeg Butterballs are one of my favourite sweet treats to make in the Autumn and Winter, including during the Christmas period. I love the sharp nuttiness of the freshly-grated nutmeg, and the unique rich texture of the crumb. They are at once crumbly and the moist sort of texture that feels like it melts together. The texture is more coarse than that of a shortbread cookie due to the ground almonds. The butterballs are also twice-rolled in nutmeg-spiked powdered sugar, to balance out the modest quantity of sugar in the cookies themselves, which adds another delightful textural contrast. This recipe is super quick, easy, and fun to make, to top it all off! Enjoy with a steaming hot latte, topped with an extra fresh grating of nutmeg.
Recipe:
Notes
I specify the type of salt used, as different salts are more or less salty than others. If you don’t have the same kind of salt used, be mindful of this and adjust accordingly. Generally speaking, pink Himalayan salt is less salty than most others.
I recommend using pink Himalayan salt, as the larger granules are desirable. The tiny “pockets” of salt yield a pleasant sweet and salty contrast. I should note that I am referring to pre-ground Pink Himalayan salt—not from a salt grinder, as this will be finer. A finer salt will fully blend into the mixture, which I don’t recommend. Secondly, the amount of salt called for isn’t terribly salty—it’s balanced. If you like to really lean into that sweet and salty vibe, and prefer your cookies quite salt-forward, then rather use 1/2 tsp salt.
I recommend using the measurements in grams, as this doesn’t allow for human error, such as packing the ingredients more or less tightly. They are provided, however, for those without a scale.
If you don’t have a 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon, this is equal to 1 1/2 tsp (1 tbsp = 3 tsp).
The nutmeg called for is freshly grated. I find that freshly grated nutmeg is much stronger than the pre-ground version from the store. It does have a sharper flavour as well. In a pinch, pre-ground is fine. It’s just very important, in this case, to note two things. Firstly, ensure that it’s fresh enough; nutmeg that is old substantially loses its potency, and the flavour is key. Secondly, you will need to increase the quantity. Taste your cookie dough, and add more if the nutmeg flavour is not very present. Ditto with the nutmeg mixed with the powdered sugar. Both components should taste fairly strongly of nutmeg.
A note for any curious baking enthusiasts: the cookies are under-baked by 10 minutes, as I like them to be very moist. The quantity of butter is the maximum that these cookies can take, while retaining their shape. If more butter is added, they will be flatter. I therefore like to under-bake them to achieve the same moistness as if I added more butter, so that they still look like cute little snowballs!
Ingredients
175 g (1 1/3 cup) almond flour
170 g (1 1/4 cup) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg, packed
300 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt (pink Himalayan) *see notes
225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
55 g (1/2 cup) sugar
1 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and ensure that oven rack is positioned in the middle.
Set aside 1-2 non-stick baking sheets. They don’t need to be buttered or lined with parchment paper.
Heat the almond flour in a toaster oven or a dry pan for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. The goal is not to toast it, but just to revive and enhance the flavour through heating it. Set aside and let cool. You can place it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
Sift powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add in 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. Mix and set aside.
Sift flour into another medium bowl. Add in 1 tsp of nutmeg and salt. Mix.
In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes.
Add in vanilla, and mix until just combined.
Add in cooled almond flour, and mix until just combined.
Add in flour mixture, and combine on low speed. Do not over mix. As soon as flour is no longer visible, stop mixing. The dough will look like little balls; you don’t need to keep mixing until one large ball is formed, as you will be pressing it together in your hands.
Shape cookie dough into small balls, about an inch and a half-2 inches in diameter. More importantly, they should weigh on average 45 g. I suggest weighing one, then eyeballing the rest. It’s important that the size is controlled, as the baking time is specific to that size of cookie. To form a cookie, spoon the dough into your hand, then firmly press it together in your hands until there is no air in the middle and it’s smooth. Then, roll into a ball, and place it on your cookie sheet. The cookies won’t much rise, so you don’t need to leave much space between them.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are set. They will still look pale—this is normal.
Let rest for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, roll the cookies in the powdered sugar mix that you set aside, and place on a cooling rack. We are purposely under-baking them, to achieve a moist centre, so handle with care. They aren’t overly delicate, but they are a little when still warm, so be gentle with them.
Let the cookies cool completely, then roll them once more in the powdered sugar mix before serving. Option to grate a little extra nutmeg overtop. Keep at room-temperature.
Enjoy!
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