Nothing Says Christmas Like Snowball Cookies!

My husband, John, the love of my life, adores Snowball Cookies for Christmas. And he has passed this adoration along to our three children, Pete, Lydia and Dave. So....nothing says Christmas at the Stewarts like Snowball Cookies! (I have to confess that they are the messiest cookies I have ever made - powdered sugar everywhere. I never mop the floor for my Christmas guests until after they are made and safely put on a plate!) Now, the recipe in my very vintage Betty Crocker cookbook calls them "Russian Tea Cakes", but at the Stewarts, they are most definitely Snowball Cookies. And from the picture, you can see why. Because of some "back issues" I've been having lately, I didn't get a chance to make them until tonight - Christmas Eve. But there they are, ready to pass on the tradition to our two grandsons, Lukas and Benson. Let Christmas come to our house....the Snowballs have arrived!

Here's the recipe, but beware that they could become a messy tradition at your house too! Have a wonderful Christmas - hopefully with at least some or all of those you love, complete with your own special family traditions!

"SNOWBALL" COOKIES (or Russian Tea Cakes if you like that better!)

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 t. soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt

1. Cream butter.
2. Add powdered sugar gradually and cream until "fluffy".
3. Add egg and vanilla.
4. Sift together remaining dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture.
5. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups finely ground walnuts. (My husband is not a nut fan - so I tend towards the 1 cup amount and I've used pecans before instead of walnuts!)
6. Chill dough.
7. Roll into balls the size of large marbles. (Wasn't Betty just so fun? Of course, I'm older than dirt and remember playing with "large marbles" in my elementary schoolyard!)
8. Bake at 400 degrees about 8-10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. (You know - until they're done!)
9. Roll in powdered sugar. Cool and roll again. (Okay - this is the messy part! I've tried lots of things. None are perfect, but I usually use a cooling rack, put paper towels under it, and wait until the cookies have had a chance to cool enough so they don't break apart easily when I shake them. I put powdered sugar in a paper or plastic bag and shake about 4-5 cookies gently and put them on the rack. Then after all have completely cooled, I shake them again.)