I grew up with this snowball cookie recipe. Now you should know that I am not normally a cookie eater, but around Christmastime I make an exception, especially for snowballs.
Mexican wedding cakes, Russian teacakes, whatever you call them, these were my favorite Christmas cookie when I was growing up. Mom’s original recipe had regular walnuts and vanilla extract. This recipe is my adult, “I’m a forager” version that uses wild black walnuts, orange flower water and a little Grand Marnier.
Orange and walnut work well together, and the combination with the black walnuts — a diamond of a nut that makes regular walnuts feel like rhinestones — and the orange flower water, plus the softness of the powdered sugar all make for a luxurious bite. They actually feel cooling in your mouth. I defy you to eat just one.
Make them in one-bite balls, as these cookies are crumbly. Oh, and while this is a small snowball cookie recipe, fit for two people, it scales up perfectly to at least four times, so you can make enough to give as gifts. Once made, these cookies will keep at room temperature in a covered container for a few days.
Many supermarkets sell black walnuts, and you can buy them online, too. Orange flower water is sold in the spice section of supermarkets, but if you can’t find it, you can skip it.
Snowball Cookies with Black Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake or all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped black walnuts
- 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange flower water
- 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
- Pinch of salt
- 1 stick of butter (1/4 pound), cut into small pieces
- Powdered sugar for dusting, about 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Mix all the ingredients except the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix with your clean hands, mashing the dry ingredients with the butter until you get a mixture that looks like lumpy meal.
- Form the dough into little balls the size of a walnut and place on an ungreased sheet pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Take the cookies out and let them cool for 5 minutes or so. After they are cool enough to handle but still warm, roll them in the powdered sugar and set aside on a rack to cool. Then, when they are totally cool, roll them in powdered sugar one more time.
