Snowball Cookies

Last week snow was in the forecast twice! Twice! That's huge here. T had a friend over and I thought it was a perfect time to make one of my favorite winter treats - snowball cookies. We've made these many times before because they are perfect for little hands to help create. The recipe is from a newspaper clipping that was in my grandmother's cookbook. I used to cook with her all the time which makes me sentimental about sharing this experience with my kids. (You can skip the pictures and go straight to the recipe if you'd like) 

Snowball Cookies

The recipe starts off with creaming butter and powdered sugar.

Add flour and stir.

Next, you mash the dough around Hersey Kisses. We didn't have kisses (and I don't really like them in the middle) so we hid chocolate chips. It was a lot easier for the guys to do, although they still needed help. This is perfect fine motor skill work! Over the holidays I forgot to stock up on the peppermint kisses - they are AMAZING in the middle of these!

 Bake the little dough balls.

Sift a ton of powdered sugar into a baking dish (hello snow)!

When the cookies come out the oven, drop them in the sugar and roll them around to cover them in the "snow."

Sometimes it sticks better than others, but either way they are perfect with hot cocoa (topped with whipped cream of course)!

Ours were gone before the next morning when the actual snow arrived.

Here's the official recipe (with my changes):

Snowball Cookies

• 8 tbsp unsalted softened butter
• 1 1/2c sifted powdered sugar (you will use just 1/2 c at first)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4c flour
• 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts (I NEVER add these)
• 24 unwrapped chocolate kisses (I sub peppermint kisses or chocolate chips or nothing at all)

• Beat butter in mixer set to medium high for 1 minute
• Reduce speed to low and add 1/2 c powdered sugar
• With a wooden spoon, add vanilla and salt
• Stir in flour and nuts just until blended
• Using a tablespoon of dough (or more if you use chocolate chips instead of kisses), wrap the kiss 
• Gently roll to form a ball (this is hard for little hands, but great practice)
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet, 1" apart
• Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes (they will just slightly brown)
• While cookies bake, sift the rest of the powdered sugar into a baking dish (sometimes I use more than just the left over cup of sugar)
• Place the hot cookies in the sugar and roll them gently to coat
• Let them cool in the sugar, rolling them a few more times

Normally this makes about 24 cookies, if you use chocolate chips, it makes less because you use more dough per cookie.

The snow was exciting! Unfortunately school wasn't cancelled but after dropping off N I decided T could stay home and play (Chris agreed). 

There was even a bigger call for snow on Thursday and we were sorely disappointed. The good part was that Chris was flying in that afternoon so there wasn't an issue with him coming home!