the holiday table :: snowball cookies

In honor of the official beginning of winter today, I figured the most perfect cookie is, none other than a snowball cookie.  Lightly sweet and nutty, crumbly and shortbready; snowballs are the quintessential cookie of the season.

I made these with chopped pecans, but any nut is good.  In the past, I've made them with hazelnuts and they turn out heavenly everytime.   

Now that it's winter, I'm excited that I won't have to feel bad about curling up on my couch with a book (and warm cookies) every evening.  My latest obsession has been The Hunger Games trilogy.  I've gotten to the point where I'm purposely slowing my reading so it won't end. 

Cheers to savoring good reading and good cookies this Christmas!

Pecan Snowball Cookies
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans (feel free to subsitute another nut!)
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until creamy. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
2. Add flour and salt then mix until partially incorporated and then add nuts. Mix until a thick, uniform dough forms.
3. Roll cookies into 1" balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden and fragrant. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan before trying to remove from the baking sheet.
4. Coat cookies with lots of powdered sugar.