Snowball Cookie Recipe

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Sharing one of my favorite Christmas cookies with you today.  My Aunt always brings cookies to Christmas.  When I see her big cookie tin full of a wonderful assortment of cookies, I immediately go searching for these cookies.

They have many names – snowball cookies, Russian teacakes or Russian tea cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, walnut ball cookies.

I don’t know why this cookie has so many different names, but it is a nutty shortbread cookie and a Christmas tradition.  I believe they originate from Germany/Hungary, and like most cookies from German, there isn’t a *ton* of sugar (as it is a shortbread cookie), which is one reason why I love them.

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups ground walnuts (we like to do a mixture of walnuts and pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift the flour and salt together and set aside.
3. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.
4. Add the flour and salt mixture until incorporated.
5. Mixing with your hand, add in the ground nuts.
6. Next, shape the cookies into 1/2 inch balls. I used a melon scooper for this.
7. Place on a greased cookie sheet, and bake from 20-30 minutes. Mine finished at 20.
8. Remove from oven, let cool until they are warm enough to pick up.
9. While the cookies are still warm, roll in powdered sugar.  Enjoy the cookies cool.

You can freeze these cookies and make them in advance. To refresh the cookies, take them out of the freezer and toss them with powdered sugar again.  However, these cookies will last up to three weeks in an airtight container. The recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies.

I hope you enjoy making eating these cookies as much as I do!