Christmas Snowballs Recipes

SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C.) Lightly butter 2 baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.
• Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour and salt; mix into the butter mixture. Stir in the pecans. Dust your hands with a little of the confectioners' sugar and roll the dough into 1 inch balls.
• Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake for 25 minutes or just until brown. Put on racks to cool for 15 minutes, then roll in the confectioners sugar.

SNOWBALLS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, pecans, and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown: it's better to undercook them than to overcook them. While cookies are still hot, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them in confectioners' sugar once more.

CHRISTMAS SNOWBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
• Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat until well blended.
• Stir in pecans.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
• Bake in a 300° regular or convection oven until cookies are pale golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking.
• Let cookies stand on sheets until cool enough to handle.
• Place remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
• Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat all over; discard remaining sugar.
• Set cookies on racks to cool completely.

CLASSIC SNOWBALL

Steps:

• Fill a glass with ice and if using, add up to 15ml of lime juice or lime cordial (or to your taste). Pour the advocaat and lemonade over the ice and stir gently until the outside of the glass feels cold.
• Garnish with the maraschino cherry.

CHOCOLATE SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set and bottoms are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool completely on wire racks. If desired, reroll cookies in confectioners' sugar.

SNOWBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Tip the pecans into a food processor and blitz until they resemble a rough powder. Tip into a bowl and stir in the flour.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter, caster sugar and orange zest together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and pecan mix and stir with a wooden spoon until everything comes together in a rough dough. Shape into 10 even-sized balls and put on the tray.
• Bake for 15 mins until set but the top is still pale in colour. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 mins, then, once cool enough to handle, gently roll the balls in the icing sugar and return to the tray. Leave to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight container for up to five days. Dust with more icing sugar just before serving.