Cookies & Bars
Snowballs

These are also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes. If made right, they will melt
in your mouth. I suggest laying down a tablecloth to keep the powdered sugar
under control. - joe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pounds butter, softened
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped almonds
- 2-3 cups 10X (powdered) sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, water and vanilla together.
Mix flour and salt together, then gradually add to the creamed butter. Mix
well, and then fold in nuts with a spoon.
Roll into 1 inch balls, and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. They may
be placed close together, as they do not expand or melt. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Then roll them in 10X sugar and
put on rack to cool. After 30 minutes, sift more 10X over the cookies, wait 15
minutes, flip the cookies and sift more 10X over the bottoms. When completely
cool, store in tightly sealed tins.
Variations
The first time I made these they were melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Every time
since, though, they haven't been, though they are still delicious. I think
next time I'm going to try one cup of nuts instead of two.
For a nuttier taste, grind the nuts instead of chopping them (see tip below).
Tips & Notes
- I use an airbake for these, as you want a more delicate cookie.
- If your oven is baking hot, take them out early. You want them to have
a tiny bit of color, but they shouldn't brown.
- Make sure the nuts are chopped, not ground. Ground nuts will overpower
the delicate flavor of the cookie (resulting in a delicious, nutty,
butter cookie -- but that's not what we're after here).
Copyright © William T. Zander & Joseph L. Casadonte Jr. 1997. All rights reserved.
Snowballs / 29 November 1997 / jcasadonte@northbound-train.com