These lovely powdered sugar-coated little morsels were a staple at every organized event I attended whilst growing up.
Called by various monikers, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, Polvorones, Viennese Sugar Balls… light crumbly butter cookies, that use no eggs or granulated sugar, were served at wedding and baby showers, receptions, Girl Scout meetings, Mother’s Tea… always present, always appreciated, always delicious!
And yet, they’re one of those things, like Divinity candy, I always counted on someone else to make. As time went on, I saw less and less of them on the treat table until these pecan pleasantries completely disappeared from my radar - and then my sis made a pile of them this year!
Oh what memories came flooding back! My best friends wedding shower that took place way too soon following our high school graduation, my Rainbow Girls days and the army of women that baked and fussed over us, and my grandmother’s nut mill (4 spring-mounted blades - pour the nuts into the jar, screw on the lid, and pump pump pump the spring top to chop, chop, chop the nuts inside!)
You may have snow in your neck of the woods, but in the Pacific Northwest ours is more of the liquid variety, so my sister packing Snowballs (and a snowman - cuz that’s how she rolls!) might be the only accumulation of white stuff around here. Sadly, they melted off the plate faster than anything I’ve ever witnessed out-of-doors!
Here’s the memory-laden recipe, make up a batch for a tasty January treat.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Chop pecans (a mini food processor comes in very handy) into very small pieces - (resembling crushed graham cracker.)
in small bowl, combine flour, chopped pecans, and salt, mix until combined.
in large bowl, cream the softened butter, with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the flour and pecan mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time. dough will be dry and crumbly.
Pinch dough together to form balls about 1 Tablespoon in diameter, and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake!
Roll in powdered sugar while warm, and once again when fully cooled.
Store in airtight container up to 1 week, or lob a few towards friends and neighbors in a mock snowball fight!