Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes: Melt in Your Mouth Snowballs

By Sirena Van Schaik

I’m a big fan of Christmas. This little fact is often seen in the two Christmas trees that grace my house and in the tons of Christmas cards that need to be mailed out and also in the number of presents that are under the one tree. (Yes, I am not so bad as to fill both trees)

As much as I love all the other aspects of the holiday, one thing that is my favorite is making Christmas goodies. These range from cookies to cupcakes to mouth watering cheese cakes. I love baking for the holidays but I often find that I just don’t have that much time to. Before I know what is happening, it is only a few days before Christmas and I have so much wrapping and last minute tasks that I am rushing to finish all those little baked goods. Sure, they still turn out well, but when you are balking at ten o’clock at night, some of the fun is leached from the activity.

If you are like me and love having a few baked goods to give out over the holiday or you are looking for a treat for a party but have little time, this cookie recipe will work wonders for you. It is fast, easy, and has very little mess. So if this sounds like a recipe that you could make, roll up your sleeves and get ready not to work too hard this baking season.

What you need:

• 1 cup of flour
• ½ tsp of salt
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• ½ cup of butter
• 1 cup of pecans, chopped and unsalted
• ½ to 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar with an electric hand mixer.
3. Slowly add the flour, mixing as you do.
4. The salt is optional but if you would like to use it, add it to the flour/butter mixture along with the vanilla. Mix until well-blended.
5. Fold in the chopped pecans and mix thoroughly.
6. Shape the cookie dough into bite sized balls.
7. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookie is just beginning to brown.
8. While the cookies are baking, pour the about a ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
10. While they are still hot, roll them in the confectioners’ sugar, adding more sugar to the bowl when you need to.
11. Cool completely and roll the cookies in the confectioners’ sugar again.

And you are left with a wonderful cookie that is easy to make and completely delicious.