Christmas Walnut Snowballs Food

CHOCOLATE WALNUT SNOWBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Finely chop 1/2 cup of the walnuts and set aside. Process the remaining 3/4 cup walnuts with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor until very finely ground, about 1 minute. Add the butter and vanilla and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and process until most of the dough forms a ball and is completely combined. Scrape the dough into a bowl with a rubber spatula and fold in the chocolate chips and reserved chopped walnuts.
• Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into 1-inch balls and space evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until cracked on top and mostly firm but still slightly springy when pressed, about 18 minutes (they will firm up out of the oven). Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; you want them to be slightly warm for the first tossing in sugar.
• Meanwhile, put the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar until evenly coated. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar so they are very white. The cookies will keep in a little bit of extra sugar in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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.

NUTTY ORANGE SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in orange zest and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts., Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Place remaining confectioners' sugar in a large resealable plastic bag. Add cookies, a few at a time, and shake to coat. Store in an airtight container.

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 WALNUT SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together just until blended.
• If it seems a bit dry, add the 1 tablespoon of milk.
• Roll into approximately 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Oven times may vary so checking your cookies after about 12 minutes or so may be necessary so your cookies do not overbake/This is the temp and time my grandmother had on the recipe but seeing as the temp is a bit high I would check them periodically.
• When cookies are lukewarm, roll in powdered sugar.
• When completely cooled, you can roll again in the powdered sugar for even sweeter and"snowier" cookies, if you like.
• Note; If you prefer rum balls, you may add a tablespoon of rum {or more if you want really happy cookies} to the mixture before baking.

WALNUT SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons flour mixture to processor; add walnuts. Process until walnuts are finely chopped.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until well blended. Add egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla and beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture. Add walnut mixture; stir with spatula to blend. Using 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie, shape dough into balls; arrange on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
• Bake cookies 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Bake cookies until brown on bottom, cracked on top and just beginning to color, about 12 minutes longer. Sift remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar thickly over hot cookies and cool on sheets. (Can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)

WALNUT EGGNOG SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the walnuts on another baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and add the rum and vanilla; let soak at least 30 minutes.
• Whisk the flour, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and the salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, egg yolk and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the walnut-rum mixture until fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until combined. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Bake until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans.
• Put the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl. Gently roll the warm cookies in the confectioners' sugar mixture. Transfer to a rack to cool completely; the cookies will firm up as they cool. Once cool, reroll in the confectioners' sugar mixture.

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.