Macadamia Snowball Cookies

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Mystery solved.  In an earlier post I mentioned sneaking off with white, powdered sugar cookies from the trays my parents would buy at church from the United Methodist Women when I was a kid.  I never knew what the cookies were, just that they never made it home.  Thanks to Loretta (who commented on the blog), we figured it out!

Macadamia Snowball Cookies have many names.  For my fellow food nerds, the base dough is the same while the variety of nuts determines what the cookie is called.  Traditionally, pecans go in Mexican Wedding Cakes, walnuts in Russian Tea Cakes and almonds in Italian Wedding Cookies.  No matter what you choose, these simple treats are perfect to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Macadamia Snowball Cookies

Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 C butter, softened
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 C roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 jar holiday sprinkles
• 1 C powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Heat oven to 400.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use stand mixer to cream butter.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Add nuts, flour and sprinkles.  Mix until combined.

Scoop dough into 1 inch diameter balls.  Set on cookie sheet.  I squeezed 24 on my pan leaving about an inch between, these don’t spread when they bake.

Use a time and bake for 6 minutes in the lower part of the oven and 6 minutes above.  The cookies will appear very lightly tan, be careful to not over bake.

Dust with powdered sugar while cookies are hot and in the pan.  Set aside to cool.

When cookies cool, roll in powdered sugar again.

Original recipe from “Russian Tea Cakes,” bettycrocker.com