Friday, December 19, 2014

Cookie time: Swedish snowballs





A sudden flurry of cookie making, some off to my grandchildren in Minnesota (spice cookies for Frankie and roasted sugared walnuts, for Izzie, who is still on a gluten-free diet most of the time), more cookies for a few friends who look forward to them (Italian Christmas biscotti, gingerbread stars) - and these always popular nut and confectioner's sugar snowballs, also know as Russian Tea cookies, Mexican Wedding cookies, and a zillion other nicknames.  I call them Swedish snowballs now, because the recipe comes from a Swedish woman I knew.  My newest grandson is too little for cookies, but next will be a few batches for his parents on Christmas Day.  Hope you are all enjoying December and the Christmas (or Hanukkah) season!

This makes about two cookie sheets full of snowballs.

To make:
Preheat oven to 375F.
2 ungreased cookie sheets.

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 and 1/4 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
3/4 cup shelled walnuts, finely chopped (I use a food processor)
More confectioners sugar for rolling and sprinkling

Cream butter and sugar.
Add vanilla, nutmeg, flour, salt, and nuts.
Cream well, then pinch of pieces of dough and roll between your palms into dime or quarter sized balls.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes.
Cool balls, then roll in confectioner's sugar.
Place on platter and shake an avalanche of more confectioner's sugar on top just before serving.

 Happy day to you all!

 What I'm reading:  Catching Fire:  How Cooking Made Us Human, by primatologist Richard Wrangham.  Fascinating!











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6 comments:

  1. La Table De NanaDecember 19, 2014 at 6:04 AM

    You have been busy..
    These not only sound good..they look beautiful and festive.
    We finally have sunshine after a very long grey stretch..!
    Like that you wrote what you are reading too.
    Warm wishes Katrina:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. katrinaDecember 19, 2014 at 3:11 PM

    Dear Nana - thank you for checking in! You are very lucky to have sunshine, which has not yet reached us here. Gray, gray, gray - which is driving me crazy! Big hugs to you and happy days-before-Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BarbDecember 20, 2014 at 9:53 AM

    I made these yesterday - but yours are much prettier! So delicious! I made a couple of other kinds of cookies too - a cinnamon-ginger cookie and a coffee/chocolate chip,shortbread. All yummy.

    (I think I may have mentioned before that I'm a big cookie lover! Yum!)

    Merry Christmas to you, Katrina. It's coming fast, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. katrinaDecember 21, 2014 at 3:30 AM

    Oh, Barb - I would love your cinnamon-ginger recipe! That sounds awesome ( and the shortbread , too!)
    Getting a little confused with the mailing deadline for Izzie, Frankie, and Noah's presents in Minnesota, so now I sometimes think Christmas is over:) Have a wonderful Christmas and brand New Year: 2015? Yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BarbDecember 22, 2014 at 1:35 PM

    Hi Katrina - send me your email address or your home address and I would be happy to share these recipes with you. The cinnamon in a ginger cookie was new to me but I really liked it. I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I do love this shortbread.

    My email is: brohr4ATcomcastDOT.net

    ReplyDelete
  6. katrinaDecember 22, 2014 at 5:05 PM

    Thanks, Barb! Will email you asap!

    ReplyDelete