Description
Ultra-Soft Raspberry Christmas Snow Clouds — pillowy drop cookies with a creamy tender crumb and streaks of bright raspberry running through. These delicate winter cookies bake into snowy mounds that are pale on top with soft, slightly golden bottoms. They are lightly sweet, berry-bright, and perfect for holiday cookie trays, gift tins, or a cozy afternoon with tea. Quick to mix and even quicker to bake, these snow clouds are ideal for festive baking with family or for making ahead and freezing for holiday prep.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or light cream
- 1/2 cup crushed raspberries (fresh or thawed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Optional: 1/3 cup white chocolate chips or a dusting of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and the 2 tablespoons of cream; mix until smooth and slightly glossy.
- Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined.
- Fold in the crushed raspberries with as few strokes as possible to keep visible streaks and avoid turning the dough completely pink.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop rounded mounds of dough onto the prepared sheet, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart so they puff without touching.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops are set but still pale; avoid overbaking to maintain cloud-like softness.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 4-5 minutes to firm slightly, then transfer to a rack to cool completely; dust with powdered sugar or sanding sugar if desired.
Notes
- If raspberries are very juicy, drain a little juice or briefly chill the berries to reduce excess moisture.
- Fold berries in gently to preserve marbling; overmixing will color the entire dough.
- Chill the dough 10 minutes if it becomes too soft to scoop cleanly.
- For a sweeter, richer cookie add 1/3 cup white chocolate chips folded in with the raspberries.
- Freeze baked cookies layered with parchment for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Bake one test cookie first if using a convection oven and reduce time by a couple minutes if needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-13 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
Keywords: raspberry cookies, snow cloud cookies, soft holiday cookies, winter cookies, drop cookies, raspberry shortbread-style cookies