The winter holidays are here, and although my family observes Christmas, we are just as likely to participate in other seasonal activities that do not always adhere to the traditional red and green color scheme. (Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, the Awakening of the Buddha, etc.) I love to send a plateful of cookies as a gift or as an offering to a potluck, so this year I gave my typical recipe for Christmas cookies a makeover to make it more appropriate for a variety of religious and secular celebrations. Continue reading to see how it all turns out!
I have resumed participating in the holiday custom of my family of baking cookies for Santa. On Christmas Eve, we served a mug of hot cocoa and our favorite cookie, which was a combination of red and green Christmas balls. These cookies were carefully arranged next to the fireplace along with the drink.
It’s not that I don’t like these cookies or any of the other Christmas customs, but when the occasion calls for something a bit less ostentatious but still festive, these Holiday Snowballs will do the trick very beautifully. I still enjoy Christmas and all of its traditions.
This is the same dough that was used in the original recipe for Christmas Balls; the only differences are the addition of a pinch of salt and some more effort. In the first version of this recipe, I mention using the use of a hand mixer; however, I have since relocated and no longer have access to my mixer. First, I used a hand mixer to thoroughly combine the butter and sugar that had been softened to room temperature. After that, I added the water and vanilla extract. It took quite some time, as well as very careful, delicate stirring and crushing, but in the end, the liquid was successfully integrated. The flour and the nuts required more attention at first, but after that everything came together well. (I had not yet read the piece of advise that Sarah Rae had written: Use a fork.)
I came to the conclusion that a delicious and uncomplicated white cookie would fulfill all of my holiday party needs. The use of powdered sugar was an obvious option, but I wanted to avoid having my cookies be confused with Mexican Wedding Cookies, which are delicious but not quite as celebratory as what I needed for my goals. I then rolled the cookies in the powdered sugar, after which I added a bottle of highly glittery decorating sugar to it and tossed it all together. They didn’t have quite the right amount of sparkle, so I rolled them once more in only the glitter to give them an additional layer of shimmering sheen.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 sticks (eight ounces) of unsalted butter, which has been allowed to come to room temperature
- 2 and a quarter cups of powdered sugar, sifted, divided
- 2 teaspoons of essence of vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon of water in total
- 2 cups of flour for all purposes
- 1 ounce of pecans, chopped
- A dash of salt
- 2 bottles of sparkling white edible glitter for decorating and baking
INSTRUCTIONS
- Turn the oven temperature up to 325 degrees.
- Combine the butter and a quarter cup of the powdered sugar in a bowl and beat them together until frothy. After adding the vanilla extract and the water, continue to mix until everything is combined. Because the water will fight against the oiliness of the butter and refuse to mix in at first, using an electric mixer is helpful in this situation. If you must combine the ingredients by hand, then you will need to be patient and mix and mash the ingredients very gently. You might also try using a fork. Mix in the flour, pecans, and salt until the ingredients are almost completely combined.
- Form into balls about the size of marbles and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are firm and the bottoms have a light golden brown color. While everything is going on, combine the remaining two cups of powdered sugar with one bottle of decorating sugar in a wide, shallow basin or plate. Place another dish in front of you and empty the second container of decorative sugar onto it.
- After the cookies have finished baking, take them out of the oven and set them somewhere to rest until they have cooled completely. First, coat the item with the combination of powdered sugar and butter, and then roll it in the decorative sugar until it is shiny. Place in a container that can seal off air. Best wishes for the holiday season!
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