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Tiramisu Snowball Cookies

Print Recipe
These little snowball bites capture the essence of Tiramisu so perfectly. They have a light coffee flavour with notes of chocolate and cinnamon with a pinch of salt to balance things out nicely and they’re not too sweet. The Kahlúa offers up it’s pleasant coffee flavour without tasting boozy which I appreciate. The mascarpone produces a texture that’s somewhere between a truffle and cheesecake. Addictive! They will keep you coming back for more!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Italian, Italian-American
Keyword cinnamon, cocoa, coffee liquer, easy recipe, espresso, holiday appetizer, holiday baking, kahlua, mascarpone, Tiramisu, tiramisu cookies
Servings 32 Cookies

Equipment

  • 2 Baking sheets
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • Mixing bowls

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (165 g) powdered sugar, divided (3/4 cup goes into cookies and the remaining is for rolling the cookies in)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract I used paste
  • 2 cups 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder such as Guittard Cocoa Rouge
  • 2 tbsp of freshly brewed espresso or mix instant espresso powder with water
  • 4 oz mascarpone room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (Do not melt)
  • 2 tbsp Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
  • 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt (2tsp if using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt)
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  • Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°.
  • Place ¾ cup (82.5 g) powdered sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
  • Mix 4 oz. mascarpone, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, and remaining ¾ cup (82.5 g) powdered sugar in a large bowl with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined and a little lighter in color, about 1 minute.
  • Mix in 2 Tbsp. Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur (if using), 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or extract, and 1 tsp kosher salt.
  • Add 2 Tbsp freshly brewed espresso (or mix instant espresso with water), (increase water to 4 Tbsp. if not using coffee liqueur).
  • Stir into mascarpone mixture to combine. Using a hand-held whisk, beat the mixture to break down any visible large clumps (1 min) (The mixture will not be smooth but you don’t want large chunks of butter and mascarpone).
  • Sift in 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon and carefully mix until no dry floury spots remain. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 20 minutes.
  • Scoop out 1-tablespoonful portions of dough; roll into smooth balls.
  • Divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart.
  • Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until slightly puffed, golden underneath, and dry to the touch, 13–15 minutes.
  • Let cool on baking sheets 15 minutes.
  • Working one at a time, roll cookies in reserved powdered sugar to coat, placing back on baking sheets as you go.
  • Just before serving, roll cookies in powdered sugar again, returning to baking sheets.
  • Place ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder in a small fine-mesh sieve and dust cookies.
  • See notes for storage and advance prep instructions

Notes

If making them ahead, and wish to freeze them, do so without powdered sugar or cocoa. Thaw and add before serving.
You can also free dough balls raw and bake from frozen. Cooling times will be longer than original recipe.
You can make them a day ahead and store in an air tight container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temp before serving and sprinkle with cacao again if needed.
Keep refrigerated.