Almond Snowballs

I AM IN THE MOOD to make a Christmas cookie I haven’t had in years.

My search unearthed many recipes, and I picked the easiest one. It's essentially a shortbread-style recipe rolled by hand into 1-inch balls and coated with powdered sugar. The most common name for them is Christmas Almond Snowballs, but there are many variations depending on your ancestors' country of origin or the nuts you use.

I remember having these on Christmas Eve from our dessert tray of cookies at Dean and Mary Beier’s house. This is the home where five families gathered for many years to celebrate the holiday and get their first gifts during a visit from a fully suited Santa. Children and adults were all included. I remember patiently waiting to hear my name called. Santa (one of our fathers) often had trouble reading names from his oversized bag of presents. Yes, alcohol was involved, and lack of reading glasses played into the bumbling effect.

My father had a 16 mm Bell & Howell movie camera with a 4-bulb light wand that came into action to record the festivities. The lights literally blinded us, and we were told never to look directly at the bright line of bulbs. Right.

Over the years, I have watched films and then digital updates of the Christmas Eve parties. What remains most in my memory is the mothers enjoying Manhattans held in one hand and smoking filtered cigarettes in the other; often pregnant with their latest child, soon on the way.

Those were the good old days!

OK, back to the Almond Snowball recipe.

Ingredients

1 stick of softened unsalted butter

½ cup of sifted powdered sugar (Dominos)

½ cup of finely chopped slivered almonds

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup of all-purpose flour

A dash of salt

Directions

• Bake the slivered almonds for 5 minutes at 325°F and let them cool. Place them in a plastic bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin.

• Soften the stick of butter in a microwave for 15 seconds.

• Combine the first five ingredients using ½ the powdered sugar and then add the flour and salt, making a 4” diameter ball. Chill it for twenty minutes in your refrigerator.

• From the big ball form and roll into 1” diameter balls.

• Place them evenly on a parchment-covered baking sheet.

• Bake at 325°F for 15-20 minutes.

• Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

• Cover them with the first coat of powdered sugar while still warm.

• As they cool to room temperature, cover again in powdered sugar.

• Place them in a plastic bag with more powdered sugar.

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Mother made Goulash for the party. Baking was not in the family gene pool, and now I know why. I made quite a mess today in my kitchen.

Merry Christmas!