Snow Drop Butter Cookies

Cake Flour: Spoon the cake flour into the measuring cup and level it without packing. Cake flour gives these cookies their soft, delicate crumb.
Walnuts: Chop the walnuts finely so the dough holds together. For a warmer, richer flavor, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then cool them completely before adding them to the dough.
Dough Texture: The dough should feel soft and slightly crumbly but hold together when pressed. Do not flour your hands or add extra flour unless a test batch proves it is necessary.
Baking: Keep the tops pale. The cookies are done when the tops look dry and set and the bottoms are lightly golden. They will continue to firm as they cool.
Make Ahead: Cover and refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm to shape, let it stand at room temperature for 10–15 minutes.
Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight tin or container at room temperature for up to 1 week, with parchment paper between the layers. Baked cookies may be frozen without the powdered-sugar coating for up to 2 months; thaw them completely before coating and serving.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with Russian Spiced Tea or Irish Cream Liqueur, or add them to a holiday tray with Candy Cane Twist Cookies .

Name: Snow Drop Butter Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: ⅞ cup unsalted butter; 4 tablespoons powdered sugar; 2 cups cake flour; 1 cup walnuts; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon water; 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

These tender walnut butter cookies wear two coats of powdered sugar, making each little oval look like a snowdrift. Cake flour keeps the crumb delicate while the bottoms turn lightly golden.

By Betty Lou Gardner1 hr 50 minUpdated 2026-08-25

These Snow Drop Butter Cookies are old-fashioned holiday cookies with finely chopped walnuts in every tender bite. Cake flour keeps them delicate, the bottoms bake lightly golden while the tops stay pale, and two coatings of powdered sugar give the finished cookies their snowy look for holiday trays and Christmas tins.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

Sometimes I toast the walnuts first because it gives the cookies a warmer, richer flavor once they bake. I always roll them in powdered sugar a second time after cooling because that snowy coating is part of what makes them look so pretty piled into Christmas tins.