Amish Snow Top Cookies

Amish snow top cookies are very attractive and appealing and as the name suggests, the cookies look like a mountain capped with snow. As delicate as they look, they are not difficult to make.

These cookies have a cakey interior but are crunchy on the outside. The crinkled-looking cookies will always be the first ones to get finished whenever I serve them among other treats on the snack table. This recipe also inspired the Amish Sugar Cookies recipe my on this site.

Throughout the year, I try to restrain myself from eating sweet things but as the beautiful season of Christmas approaches, I begin to relax my rules.

As the snow caps our mountain ridges, every door has a green and red holly and the Christmas tunes fill the air, I begin to look for my recipe books to make delicious treats just for this season.

If you do not mind sugar, you can make them any time of the year. They are a perfect treat for afternoon tea or coffee.

It is tradition to go visit the little cottage on the foot of the mountains.

Since I do not like cooking during our Christmas vacation, I do all the cooking and baking ahead of time so I can read my book while the children are skating on the mountainside.

And oh, I have to make a large batch of these cookies that look like snow-capped mountains, because the skaters will always return to the cottage very hungry! 😊

Amish Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe. Click to read.

My Amish and Mennonite Cookbooks

I bought a good number of vintage recipe books from Amish farm sales. I fell in love with their recipes because I find them simple to follow and they use ingredients that are easy to find. We grew up near a large Amish community in our neighborhood.

My Daddy was a good dentist in the area and they would often come to see him for their dental checkups. I became friends with some of their children but they were really shy and kept to themselves. 

Once in a while we would visit Dad’s close friends and get a ride on the horse buggies, oh my we used to feel like we were in ancient Rome!

Clippity clop, clippity clop the horses would go...Wherever we would want to take a pic, they would turn away! Oh, men…

Some of them would not use phones or any electric appliances, which was very restrictive.

But what stuck with me is their delicious yet simple cuisine. They would eat so much sugar that translated into my Dad’s flourishing clinic hehe..

After each Sunday service, they gathered and shared a meal and it would not be complete without a series of sugar-loaded treats. We would have some of the treats from an Amish Bakery not far from our home.

Recipe tweaks

To keep the special cookie cavity safe, we always reduced the amount of sugar added to the cookie batter.

I am delighted to share with you an Amish recipe that we tweaked and for sure it remains the winner on the snack table.

Let us look at how to make the Amish Snow top cookies.

How to make the Amish Snowtop cookies

Making these delightful snacks does not need top-notch baking skills. It doesn't take long to make them either, what a great recipe! Measure all ingredients and set them aside.

In a mixing bowl beat the melted butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat.

You can use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment at high speed. In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

Mix until thoroughly mixed. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, and mix until fully combined.

Scoop the cookie dough with an ice cream or a tablespoon. Roll the cookie dough in between your palms and toss them in a bowl containing the powdered sugar.

Arrange them on a tray lined with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 325 F or 155 F.  Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.

The smell wafting through the house will alert you and perhaps your nearby neighbors too… the cookies are ready!!

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Store the crinkled cookies in an airtight container on your counter for a week. You could store them in the fridge for a longer time in an airtight container as well.

These delights freeze wonderfully, wrap each cookie with parchment paper.

Wrap a batch of cookies with plastic wrap and slip them into a freezer-friendly bag. They can stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months.

The beautiful, distinct pattern on the top of the cookies will make them stand out on the Christmas table. Enjoy the Amish snow top cookies for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea on a chilly afternoon.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour works well in the recipe. You do not need to substitute this ingredient, it is a major ingredient.

Cocoa powder

Dutch-processed cocoa powder adds a rich chocolatey flavor and dark color to the cookie batter. Cocoa has a rich earthy taste and bitter undertone.

Sugar

Sugar adds a depth of sweetness to the chocolate cookies balancing perfectly with the cocoa flavor. 

Eggs

Eggs enrich the dough with protein, they contribute to the structure of the cookie as they increase in volume when whisked.

Melted butter

Melted butter adds moisture to the cookie dough. Butter has a rich milky flavor as well.

Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract elevates the deliciousness of the chocolate cookie by adding a mild, sweet, and fruity flavor that blends with the chocolate flavor.

You can use another type of flavoring such as peppermint, especially during the Christmas season.

Salt

Salt makes the other flavors stand out by adding a distinct flavor to the cookie dough.

Baking powder

Baking powder makes the cookies rise and spread, giving them that beautiful crinkle appearance. You can add baking soda for more spreading which will yield definite patterns.

Powdered sugar

This is the ‘snow’ in the recipe lol. The round cookie dough is rolled in powdered sugar before baking.

Hot water

Hot water makes the cookies a little moist because cocoa powder tends to draw all the moisture from the cookie dough. We want to achieve a chewy interior and a crispy top.

EQUIPMENT

Hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer

Hand-held mixer or stand mixer whisk the butter, sugar, and eggs into a creamy and fluffy mixture giving the cookie a cakey interior.

Mixing bowls

Mixing bowls are needed for mixing dry and wet ingredients.

Ice cream scoop or tablespoon

Ice cream scoop or tablespoon will help you get the right amount of cookie dough.

Baking tray

You will need two baking trays lined with parchment paper or greased.

Parchment paper

Keeps the cookies from sticking on the baking tray.

FAQ AMISH SNOWTOP COOKIES

How can I keep the Amish Snowtop cookies fresh?

To keep the cookies fresh, wrap them with plastic wrap or an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze the cookies too, wrap each with parchment paper and place them in a freezer-friendly bag.

Why didn't my Amish Snow top cookies spread?

I experienced the same too and learned from a certain recipe to always add ½ spoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the recipe.

This slight tweak makes the cookies spread more because the gluten strands in the wheat flour are weakened by the chemical reaction.

Also, check out how to make: Amish Cornbread.

PRO TIPS - AMISH SNOWTOP COOKIES

To get a beautiful pattern of crinkles, bake the Amish snow-capped cookies at a lower temperature of 325 F. At this temperature, the cookie dough tends to spread more before the outside becomes crispy.

The cookies taste the same regardless of the pattern but if you are keen to see the streams running through the snow-capped mountain lol😀, practice these tips.

You do not have to chill the dough before baking. Cold butter will reduce the rate of spreading during the baking.

Remember to measure the ingredients accurately, scoop and level the flour, and all the dry ingredients to get the best Amish Snow top cookies.

Surprise your guests and family with these beautiful-looking snacks. Enjoy them with a glass of milk on a quiet afternoon.

I doubled the recipe and packed the holiday snacks for our Christmas getaway.