Almond Flour Pistachio Snowball Cookies are nutty with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that crumbles with every bite. Packed with raw pistachios, cardamom, and almond flour, these cookies are healthier and naturally gluten-free and flourless!
SUMMARY
- Taste: Richly nutty from pistachios and almonds, with a hint of warm cardamom.
- Texture: Crispy, buttery, and crumbly.
- Wholesome Ingredients: Made with nutritious ingredients like almond flour and pistachios—completely without wheat flour.
- Healthier Cookie: Naturally gluten-free, wholesome, and flourless.
This is my twist on our cashew snowball cookies, swapping ground cashews for pistachios and regular flour for almond flour. The result is healthier, flourless, and naturally gluten-free snowballs. For a more traditional version, try my pecan snowball cookies.
During recipe testing, I experimented with making it extra healthy by using coconut oil instead of butter, as I often do in almond flour desserts. However, the cookies didn’t achieve the same delicate, crumbly texture as when using butter. Whipping butter incorporates air, creating a light, crumbly texture that coconut oil couldn’t replicate.
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Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Pistachios: I recommend using raw pistachios rather than toasted or salted ones, as the raw nuts provide a delicate pistachio flavor and a beautiful green color.
- Almond flour: For the best results in any almond flour recipe, always use super fine almond flour to ensure a light and tender texture.
- Butter: Make sure your butter is left at room temperature for several hours so it can cream properly and create a light, crumbly texture.
- Powdered sugar: Also called confectioners’ sugar, it contains a small amount of cornstarch, which helps achieve a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Cardamom: Use freshly ground cardamom, which is much more aromatic and flavorful than store-bought powder; you can even make cardamom powder at home using this method.
More Almond Flour Cookies
Watch How To Make It
Almond Flour Pistachio Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw pistachios
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar divided
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grind pistachios. Grind the pistachios into a fine powder, with no visible nut pieces remaining.
- Mix dry ingredients. Place the ground pistachios in a medium bowl. Add the almond flour, ground cardamom, and salt, then stir until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Finish cookie dough. In a separate bowl, combine the butter and ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients, starting on low speed and increasing to high, and continue mixing until fully combined. Remove the beater and gently knead the dough a few times until it forms a smooth dough. 👉 The dough may look crumbly and firm at first, but thanks to the rich butter and nut fats, it will bake into perfectly crisp and tender cookies.
- Make balls. Scoop about 1 scant tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
- Bake. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are a deep golden color. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool until warm.
- Coat in sugar. Place the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Working in batches, roll the warm cookies in the sugar, shaking off any excess, and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. If needed, reroll the cooled cookies in powdered sugar for an extra coating.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Tips for Success
- Storage: Store almond flour pistachio snowball cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: For best results, freeze the snowballs before coating them in powdered sugar. When ready to serve, thaw them overnight at room temperature, then roll them in powdered sugar and arrange them fresh on the day of serving.
- Extra Coating: If the cookies aren’t fully coated, roll them in powdered sugar again. You can also lightly sift additional sugar over the cookies for a more polished finish.
- Sugar: Confectioners’ sugar is the same as powdered sugar commonly found in grocery stores.
- Size: Use one scant tablespoon to measure the dough. If the cookies are made larger, they may not crisp properly and can remain soft in the middle.
How to make pistachio snowball cookies
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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Grind pistachios. Grind the pistachios into a fine powder.
Mix dry ingredients. Place the ground pistachios in a medium bowl. Add the almond flour, ground cardamom, and salt, then stir until the mixture is evenly combined.
Finish cookie dough. In a separate bowl, combine the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients, starting on low speed and increasing to high, and continue mixing until fully combined.
Make balls. Remove the beater and give the dough a good mix using a spoon. Scoop about 1 scant tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
Bake. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are a deep golden color. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool until warm.
Coat in sugar. Place the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Working in batches, roll the warm cookies in the sugar, shaking off any excess, and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. If needed, reroll the cooled cookies in powdered sugar for an extra coating.
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