Aunt Gussie’s Walnut Snowballs
You know you’ve made a good cookie when someone requests the recipe, in this case for “Aunt Gussie’s Walnut Snowballs.” I don’t actually have an Aunt Gussie, but I did have a 4th grade teacher dearer to me than any aunt, who gave me a cookbook as a parting gift when I left for New Jersey.
From Good Old-Fashioned Cookies, by Susan Kosoff.
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Position rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease 2 cookies sheets.
- In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer set on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and smooth. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts and chopped walnuts.
- In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in thirds to creamed mixture, mixing with a rubber spatula after each addition. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll, one at a time, into 1-inch balls. Arrange balls on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 15-17 minutes, or until cookies are pale golden. Do not let cookies brown (emphasis mine). Remove cookie sheet to wire rack and cool for 2 or 3 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer 6 or 7 cookies to a shallow baking pan and generously sift confectioners’ sugar over cookies to coat completely. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Repeat until all cookies have been coated. Sift additional confectioners’ sugar over cookies before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Yield: Approximately 40 cookies.
