Snowball Cookies? Italian Wedding Cookies? Polvorones??
These cookies are SO fun to make for cookies trays, they add some fun color and shape. (It’s nice to see white on a plate of brown cookies!) Merry Christmas baking, everyone! Literally every 30 seconds she would lean over and not-whisper in my ear, “I THINK THAT’S FAKE SNOW.” And I would say, yes, you’re probably right, you have to whisper Charlotte!” Then 30 seconds later, “I THINK THAT ONE’S CLARA!” “Yes, Charlotte, please whisper!!” and “THEY ARE PROBABLY CHANGING THE SET BEHIND THAT BACK CURTAIN!” Charlotte!!! Whisper!!” The story is that Great Grandpa Carl always called his wife Prudy “sweetheart” when she made these, because they were his absolute favorite of all the the dozens of cookies she made every Christmas. So they just started calling them Sweetheart cookies. How cute is that?
Tea Cake Dough
This is seriously the best cookie recipe for when you are NOT going to the store. You probably have all this stuff in your pantry already!
Wedding Cookie Coating
Powdered sugar (that’s it, how easy is that?) After they come out of the oven, you roll them in powdered sugar while warm. They make a giant mess when you eat them and will get all over your face and fingers and this is not an apology it’s just part of the joy of Mexican Wedding Cookies. The only down side is that you can’t sneak these cookies. Everyone knows you have eaten them because you end up with powdered sugar on your face no matter what you do. The trick to getting these Russian Tea Cakes/Snowball cookies to look ultra white and absolutely covered in powdered sugar is to roll them twice. When they are hot just out of the oven, roll them in the powdered sugar and then immediately remove them to a cooling rack. (If you leave them to cool in the bowl of powdered sugar, it will start melting the sugar and you will end up with a gloopy mess. No, that didn’t happen to me at all, why do you ask??) One roll in powdered sugar will make the cookies white but not ultra powdery, like we want. So after the rolled cookies have cooled, toss them back in the powdered sugar again. You can see here the difference between rolling once and rolling twice (the top photo below is rolled only once.) Make it your goal to choke everyone who inhales while taking a bite of these cookies; the more powdered sugar the better. If you send someone into a coughing fit, you know you’ve done it right. Okay I’m totally kidding, seriously don’t breathe in while you take a bite of these, you will be chugging milk.
Mix:
Bake:
Roll:
For added flavor, take a few minutes to toast your nuts. They’re good either way but toasting the nuts makes them even better. If the dough is still crumbly and not coming together, add more milk one teaspoon at a time. It only takes a little bit to get the right consistency! Don’t over bake these cookies or they will be dry. Nobody likes dry cookies! Want extra snowy, beautifully white cookies? Once the rolled cookies have cooled for 30-60 minutes, roll them in powdered sugar AGAIN. Yes please. Make sure you have plenty of milk on hand! The powdered sugar can make you cough if you inhale these too quickly (guilty as charged!) so be prepared.
In the Fridge
You can keep these in the fridge for up to two weeks. Again. How would they last that long??
Frozen
If you’d like to make these ahead of time for a party or Christmas cookie plates, you can bake them, roll them, and freeze them for up to three months. If you’d rather freeze unbaked dough balls, you can do that too. Just plan on having powdered sugar on hand for when you’re baking them up.
More Christmas cookies you will love!
Butter Pecan Cookies « these are some of my favorites. Not too sweet, they are buttery perfection. Grandma Prudy’s Classic Spritz Cookie Recipe « I can eat about a hundred of these. The SOFTEST Sugar Cookies of Your Life (That Hold Their Shape) « I will never make another recipe! Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies « talk about festive. These are so nostalgic! Thumbprint Almond Raspberry Cookies « another Christmas classic. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies « sooo fudgy. Vanilla Melt Away Cookies from Bless This Mess Italian Wedding Cookies from Little Ferraro Kitchen Lebkuchen Cookies from Shugary Sweets Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
