Firstly, prepare your dry ingredients. Measure out your flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Sift them together into a medium-sized bowl to guarantee they're thoroughly mixed and free of lumps.
Next, beat the eggs. In a separate smaller bowl, use a hand mixer on a low setting to beat the eggs for about a minute, or until the egg yolks and whites are well combined. Stir in a splash of vanilla extract to add a hint of flavor.
Now, it is time to combine the ingredients. Add your beaten eggs to the flour mixture. Use a silicone spatula to stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Dust your work surface with a little flour and transfer the dough onto it.
Knead the dough into a ball and place it into a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about half an hour. This resting time allows the dough to firm up and makes it easier to roll out.
How to Shape Pom-Pom Cookies
Once the dough has chilled, split it in half for easier rolling. Dust your work surface with a bit more flour and place your dough onto it. Flatten the dough into a disk shape and lightly coat it with flour.
Take a rolling pin and start rolling out the dough from the center outwards, making sure to coat it with flour as needed. Continue until the dough is almost paper thin.
Now, use your dough cutter to cut out cookies from the rolled dough.
Separate the cutouts from the rest of the dough and gather the excess dough into a ball. Place this ball back in the fridge to rest.
Arrange your cookie cutouts in rows of five pieces.
Dip your fingertip into some water and tap the center of four cutouts.
Stack them on top of each other, alternating dry and wet sides and ending with a dry side on top. Press down firmly in the middle with your finger to seal them together. Repeat this process with all the cutouts.
Use a pair of clean kitchen scissors to make five to six evenly spaced cuts around the edge of each cookie. This gives your pom-pom cookies their unique shape.
How to Cook Pom-Pom Cookies
Pour olive oil into a medium pot, filling it about a quarter of the way full, or about two inches deep. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of around 300 ℉.
Carefully drop ten of your pom-pom cookies into the hot oil, stirring them gently to make sure that they don't stick together or to the pot. Be careful not to break off the "petals" of your cookies. Fry them until they turn a light golden brown color.
Once the cookies are cooked, remove them from the oil and place them onto a large plate lined with paper towels. This will help to absorb any excess oil. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before coating them in powdered sugar.
Pour a quarter cup of powdered sugar into a large Ziploc bag. Place ten of your cooled cookies into the bag, seal it well, and gently shake it until the cookies are fully coated in sugar. Repeat this process with the rest of your cookies.
Finally, arrange your beautiful and delicious pom-pom cookies on a serving platter and enjoy!