A snowy coating of powdered sugar gives these delicate, buttery nut cookies their name: Snow Kiss. Made with a short list of pantry ingredients, they have a tender, crumbly texture and a gentle nutty flavor—just right with a cup of tea or coffee.

Yield: 20–25 cookies
Prep: about 20 minutes
Chill: 1–2 hours
Bake: 15–20 minutes
Cooling: allow additional time before coating

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (220 g), cold
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar (80 g), for the dough
• ⅓ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• About 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (250 g)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (50 g)
• About ½ cup additional powdered sugar (60 g), or as needed, for coating

Instructions

1. Prepare the butter. Coarsely grate the cold butter into a mixing bowl. If it is still too firm to beat, let the grated butter sit briefly until pliable, without melting it.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the ⅔ cup powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until soft, light, and fluffy.
3. Add the nuts. Finely chop the nuts or pulse them briefly in a food processor. Stop before they become a paste. Stir them into the butter mixture with a spatula.
4. Make the dough. Add the flour and mix gently with a spatula or your hands, just until the dough comes together. Gather into a ball, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
5. Preheat and shape. Heat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the chilled dough into 20–25 walnut-sized portions, roll into balls, and arrange on the baking sheet with space between them.
6. Bake. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until set and very lightly golden around the bottoms. The tops should remain pale. Let the delicate cookies firm up on the baking sheet before transferring them gently to a rack.
7. Cool and coat. Allow the cookies to cool completely. Place the extra powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and gently roll each cookie in it until coated on all sides.

Recipe Notes

• Keep the dough cool: If it softens noticeably while shaping, refrigerate the shaped cookies until firm before baking.
• Oven temperature: 340°F is the closest common Fahrenheit setting to 170°C. If your oven only offers 25-degree increments, use 350°F and begin checking a few minutes early.
• Coating sugar: The extra ½ cup is a suggested starting amount; the source gives no quantity for the coating. Add more only as needed.

Storage

Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight tin at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Separate layers with parchment paper and keep them away from heat and moisture. Add a light dusting of powdered sugar before serving if needed.