pecans

Snowball Cookies

By: Robin Asbell

Recipe Information
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 30 (60 cookies)

Snowball_Cookies_0.jpg

It’s cold outside, so warm up the oven and settle in with a classic recipe - snowball cookies, just like grandma used to make. With vanilla on sale now at the Co-op, it’s a great time to stock up on ingredients for this beloved traditional cookie.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans

  • 1/2 pound butter, softened

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

  • 2 cups unbleached flour

  • powdered sugar for coating, about half a cup

Preparation

Toast the nuts on a sheet pan for 10 minutes at 350⁰F, then move to a rack to cool completely. Use a food processor to grind to a fine mince, being careful not to over-process into nut butter. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and reserve.In a stand mixer, or a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, salt, vanilla and powdered sugar until very fluffy. Add the nuts and mix, then sift the flour over the top and stir in. Form 1-inch balls of dough and place on prepared sheet pans. Bake in the 350⁰F oven for 12-15 minutes, switching the position of the pans between upper and lower oven racks halfway through.Cool on racks on pans until the cookies are firm enough to transfer to racks to cool. When cooled completely, roll in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Tips & Notes

For a chocolate version, substitute 1/2 cup cocoa for 1/2 cup of the flour and proceed.