Recipes: December 2007 Archives

These cookies have been a family favorite EVERY Christmas since before I was born!  I started making them before I turned 10 and have been making them about every year since, tweaking and perfecting the recipe along the way. Try 'em and they're sure to be among your family's favorites too. 

Click here for the printable PDF file -- -- this file requires a RECENT version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for FREE at adobe.com.

Tracy's old-fashioned, family favorite:

Snowball Cookies

Simply delicious buttery pecan cookies!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon (real) vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped

• 2 cups powdered sugar set aside - to be used for rolling cookies after they come out of the oven

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Cream butter and powdered sugar.
  
• Add vanilla, nuts & flour.  Mix well.
• Shape dough into 1" - 1 ½" balls and place on cookie sheet. 
• Chill in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.
• Remove from refrigerator and bake 20 minutes at 350°.
• While balls are still hot, gently roll in powdered sugar.  Place on a plate to cool. 
• Store in a tightly sealed container.

These cookies taste best at least one day AFTER baking.

 Click here for the printable PDF file -- -- this file requires a RECENT version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for FREE at adobe.com.

Click here for a printable PDF -- this file requires a RECENT version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for FREE at adobe.com.

Gingersnap Cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated white sugar (for rolling dough balls)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325°.

• Cream together butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg in a large mixing bowl. 

• In 3 separate additions to the creamed mixture, sift flour, baking soda salt ginger and cinnamon.  Make certain to mix dough completely.

• Form dough into 1" - 1 ½" balls.

• Roll dough balls in granulated sugar until evenly coated.

• Place sugar-coated dough balls on un-greased cookie sheet.  Make certain to space 2" - 3" between balls of dough.

• Bake approximately 10 minutes.  Centers should still be soft looking. 

• Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. 

• YUMMMY...enjoy at least 1 warm cookie sample.

Hint: Gingersnaps have a tendency to get crunchy after they cool and begin to age.  I like them crunchy to dunk in coffee.  But if you prefer to keep gingersnaps somewhat soft, it is helpful to store them in a sealed plastic container with a slice of bread.  The slice of bread will become hard/stiff...but it will help the cookies remain soft.