Snowy Day Cookies

On Wednesday I shared my Snowy Day table setting, an easy switchover from the simple Valentine's Day setting of a couple of days prior. On that table sat a plate of aptly named “Snowy Day Cookies.” Some of you may have recognized them as a popular holiday cookie that goes by various names from Snowballs to Pecan Balls to Mexican Wedding Cakes and/or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Others of you may have said to yourselves, “Is she thawing out some old cookies from Christmas?” Even the notion! No. They were fresh, and with a fresh spin. This is a cookie that I love. This is a cookie that should be enjoyed year round. This is a cookie that, because of its simplicity, can be tweaked a bit to give it an entirely different taste. I was in a tweaking mood, so I gave mine a tiny bit of extra flavor with a pinch of espresso powder and a bit of cinnamon. They were positively addicting. That stack of cookies went down throughout the day, but no one would admit to eating any. I did see powdered sugar trails, however, and was able to easily identify the culprit. Time to make more!

Snowy Day Cookies

1 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cups finely chopped pecans

Confectioners' sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cream butter and granulated sugar. Gently mix in flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, and pecans. Form into balls about 1" to 1-1/2" in diameter, and place on ungreased cookie sheets spacing about 2" apart. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and roll each ball in powdered sugar while still hot, and then a second time when cool. Makes about 2 dozen.