The Cookie Exchange

Tomorrow night is the big event of the annual cookie exchange and caroling at the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. So today is baking day.

I made Frostheave Fudge (aka “Rocky Road”), Mrs. Pillsbury’s Holiday Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, Dream Bars, and Snowballs. I do think the Snowballs turned out the best. Here’s the secret recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup powdered sugar (I used ¼)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond)
2 ¼ cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup powdered sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar and extract. Mix in flour, salt, and nuts. Roll 1 Tablespoon of dough into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. (Do not let cookies get too brown.) While cookies are still hot, roll in powdered sugar. When cookies are cool, roll them in sugar once again.

Mom used to make similar cookies – everybody’s favorite – and shaped them into crescents. She called them Pecan Dreams.

It will be fun to see and taste all the yummy cookies tomorrow night. May the tradition live on!