Yes, I’m late. Technically, it’s Week 7. And there will be a Week 7 post later this week. But I have a really good excuse.
No, the dog didn’t eat my homework. Instead, my town was hit by a freak October Nor’Easter that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on us. With leaves still on the trees, and heavy, wet snow coming down fast, the storm wreaked havoc on us. I have never seen my town completely dark before. After this storm, I did. 97% of it was without power.
We spent the 4 days we were without power at my parents’ house, as warm as could be by their fireplace (and then much warmer when the kerosene heaters were discovered and filled). By Wednesday night, power was finally restored to our house and we were able to go home. What an ordeal!
In honor of that storm, I’m giving you Butterballs this week, dusted in a fine coating of powdered sugar that is sure to make you think of winter’s snow. These are a dry, crumbly cookie–you’ve probably heard of them before, as they come by many names–that are mysteriously addictive. Just keep some milk or hot cocoa close by.
My mom and sister insisted this recipe made 3 dozen, so I shaped them smaller than I usually do (I normally would use my small cookie scoop to portion out the dough) and was, in fact, able to get 4 dozen out of one batch. They’re tiny, one-bite wonders that freeze great, even after getting their dusting of confectioners sugar. Place them in a resealable container with wax paper between each layer and you’ll be all set.
Let’s hope there are no more freak snow storms to disrupt the remaining weeks of Christmas Cookies & Sweets!
Butterballs
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut up
- 1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift flour, confectioners sugar, and sea salt into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla extract.
- On medium-low speed, mix in the flour mixture and walnuts. Beat until dough just starts coming together in a heap.
- Using your hands, portion out the dough and make small balls. You can fit up to 20 of them on a cookie sheet; they do no spread much.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove immediately to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cooled a bit, drop cookies, a few at a time, into a zip top bag filled with the other 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Shake around a bit to coat, then return to wire rack to cool completely.
Let’s see what everyone else made this week!
Yep, these are going on the “to make” for Christmas cookies this year 🙂
These look lovely! And there’s something about the word itself ‘butterballs’ that just makes me happy inside.
Oh Carrie! Your pictures look fantastic, but you know how I feel about butterball cookies. 😉 Hey, maybe your recipe will be the one that makes me change my mind.
It’s okay. You can’t win them all! 😉
I just love the name:) Makes me want to try them
Oh yum! I have to make these…what if I don’t want to use shortening…anything else you recommend?
I haven’t tried making them with all butter, but that’s what I’d recommend trying. I’m not a huge fan of shortening either, hence the organic shortening recommendation. I figure in small doses it shouldn’t be too bad.