Recipe: Healthier Snowball Cookies

If you've been reading SIL for a while, you'd know that we're kinda cookie mad - especially Jesse. But whilst we love regular cookies, Christmas cookies are a million and one times better!

Whilst every single year I make traditional gingerbread cookies and shortbread cookies, this year I wanted to introduce some new some traditions with some delicious new Christmas Cookie Recipes.

And in true Southern In-Law Style, I decided to make them healthier too!

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in my big red chair of a morning when I said to Jesse "I know what I'm going to make - Snowball Cookies!". 

"Snowballs? Euggggggggggggh" was the response I got. 

You see, the type of snowballs Jesse was used to was some type of mushed up cake concoction, covered with frosting and coconut - and that was what he thought I was planning on making. 

But that was definitely not what I had in mind.

What I planned on creating was a melt in your mouth cookie recipe, lightly dusted in powdered sugar to give it a snowball-like look. 

And what I created was the most ridiculously delicious cookie recipe that disappeared in a day. Even my sister (who is the fussiest of the family) loved them and kept returning to the jar for more. 

The secret ingredient in these cookies is the cream cheese. They give it an incredible flavour and that melt in your mouth texture. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm-o. 

They're the perfect cookie to gift too as they look festive, are easy to make in a big batch and package up nicely in a pretty jar or cookie box. We put ours in this gorgeous jar from The Reject Shop (and only $2!), tied with a red ribbon.  Simple but pretty and ohhhhhhhh so delicious!

But let me give you the recipe so that you can make them yourself! >>

Secretly Skinny Christmas Snowball Cookies makes 36 cookies
aka: Healthier Cream Cheese Meltaways

lower fat, lower sugar, gluten free, healthier cookie recipe, egg free

7 tbsp (100g) butter

1 cup (100g) icing sugar/powdered sugar

1/4 cup (55g) reduced fat cream cheese*

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup (120g) gluten free plain flour

1/4 cup (35g) sorghum flour* (if you don't have sorghum flour, use another 1/4 cup of gluten free plain flour) 

1/2 cup (75g) gluten free cornflour/cornstarch

To coat your baked cookies: ~1/4 cup sifted icing sugar

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F
• Line 2x cookie sheets/baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
• Cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides inbetween beating to ensure everything is incorporated. 
• Add in your cream cheese and vanilla, mixing until smooth. 
• Next add in your flours and mix until combined.
• Roll your mixture into ~1 inch balls and place onto your baking tray, spacing balls about 1/2 an inch apart. 
• Bake your cookies for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden and remove from the oven. 
• Allow to cool slightly until just warm enough to handle comfortably and roll them in your sifted icing sugar. We find it's easiest to place the sugar in a small bowl and roll cookies 1-2 at a time, however, you can also place your icing sugar in a bag and carefully shake the bag with cookies inside to coat them (we just found some cookies cracked when doing this)
• After rolling in sugar, place back onto a baking tray or platter to cool completely before placing in your jar/in an airtight container.
• The cookies will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature (if they last that long). The dough can also be frozen prior to cooking and defrosted when ready to bake. 

*We used Philadelphia Extra Light Spreadable Cream Cheese for this recipe 

But tell me, what's your favourite Christmas Cookie Recipe?