A Blast of Sweet Nutty Heaven!
My Most Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe, Ever- Is Now Yours!
In the old days, this is the kind of special thing, a family heirloom if you will, that might creep into the trousseau
of a Marquise or the safe of a New England Brahmin. Now, this little secret of Christmas happiness is all yours -from
“Kris Kringle” to one and all!
Snowballs are a glorious explosion of nutty,delectable deliciousness that are highly addictive.
Eat just one- not likely. For an after diner desert you may want to double the recipe.
Yep. They are that good! Note: this recipe is adapted from one I found on Simply Recipes.com
last year- thank you Elise!
Ingredients:
1 Cup of all Purpose Flour
1.5 Cups of Walnuts, pieces— there is a reason for this- do not chop.
2.5 Tablespoons of Cane Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract or ½ of an Madagascan Vanilla Bean
1/4 Pound of cold unsalted butter, chopped ( 1 stick)
Take it right out of fridge=no waiting!
Colder=flakier consistency-(smart,lazy-you be the judge.)
Pinch of Salt
Powdered Sugar to coat- really needs this item or there’s no snow in the snowball.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients into a mix master bowl.
3. Use the paddle attachment
4. Run on a low speed until the ingredients are mixed into the consistency of coarse meal.
Note: this step is key….the nuts will get broken into the mixture and pushed through into the batter.*
5. Form into small balls; place on a parchment covered cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes or so. When they are a little warm( not hot) roll these lovelies in powdered sugar.
7. Set aside and let cool completely.
8. Finish with a dusting of white powdered sugar and let the sharing begin.
Yum, yum and yum….Don’t ya just love the holidays!
Notes:
*Most recipes call for:
- chopping up the nuts;
- mixing the dry ingredients;
- adding the vanilla;
- mix;
- add the room temperature butter;
- mix.
In my opinion, a lot of unnecessary steps with a missed opportunity…. the nuts.
Soft cooked walnuts will literally explode in your mouth if they are a certain size.
Rather than chopping them, let the mix master do the work. The soft walnut pieces
will get broken up and incorporated nicely into the batter. The irregular sizes,
when cooked will break apart when you eat them- voila a flavor explosion.
That’s what makes this cookie so fun!