One cookie with so many names… Snowballs, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies and I am sure there are more names.  Whatever you call these delicious buttery, melt in your mouth cookies they are always in my cookie tin.  These cookies are rolled twice in powdered sugar but there are many versions.  You will also see them rolled in coconut, cocoa powder or glazed.  There are also many things you can hide inside this cookie like cherries, chocolate kisses, peanut butter cups, mini chocolate chips or just use your imagination and create your own combinations.  I did that this year and created my Pacific Northwest Snowball Cookie.  I added hazelnuts to the cookie dough and hid some marionberry and tayberry jam inside.  With one bite you will have the sweet flavor of jam combined with the buttery hazelnut dough melting in your mouth.  Another combination I made this year was a Glazed Snowball Cookie with a cherry inside.  I then drizzled chocolate on top and it tastes just like eating a chocolate covered cherry.  The last version I made was one that my mom makes every year and that is just adding mini chocolate chips to the snowball cookie recipe.  But my mom calls them Russian teacakes so let the Snowball Cookie fight begin!

Snowball Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Confectioners sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixer.  In small bowl combine flour and salt and add the the butter mixture until just combined, mix in nuts.  Chill dough for about 30 minutes.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool.  Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled.
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Pacific Northwest Snowball Cookie
Make the recipe above and use hazelnuts instead of pecans or walnuts.  After you have rolled the dough into a 1-inch ball use a sharp knife and cut in half.  With your thumb make an indentation in each half.  Fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of marionberry or tayberry jam.  Press the two halves back together and press around the seam to seal.  Gently roll back into a ball.  Chill balls for about 30 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool.  Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled.
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Glazed Cherry Snowball Cookie
Make the recipe for the Snowball cookies using walnuts.  Drain one jar of maraschino cherries (20 cherries) and lay cherries on a few layers of paper towel.  You want to dry them off as best you can.  Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and flatten.  Add a cherry to the center and with your hands fold dough around the cherry.  Chill balls for about 30 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. (Do not roll in confectioners sugar).  As the cookies are cooling make the glaze.  In medium size bowl sift 1 cup of confectioners sugar and mix in 1 tablespoon of milk.  Once the cookies are cooled place on a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper.  With a spoon pour about 1 teaspoon of glaze over each cookies and let the glaze drip down the sides.  Once the glaze is dry melt some chocolate and drizzle over the cookies.

 

 

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Mom’s Russian Teacakes with Mini Chocolate Chips
Make the recipe for the Snowball cookies and add in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips with the nuts.  Chill dough for about 30 minutes.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool.  Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled.  When I made these this year instead of rolling them in just confectioners sugar I added some baking cocoa to the confectioners sugar to give them a light chocolate color.