These are the cookies that Grandmas, Nanas, and Babushkas all the world bake, and they are so good. Some of the many names are Snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding Cookies, and Tea Cakes – I think there’s even a Greek version. Every time I give them out, someone tells me of the similar cookie they grew up eating. They take a little longer to bake than most, but the extra time is worth it!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pine nuts, chopped fine
Cream butter & sugar, then mix in water and vanilla. Add the flour and chopped nuts.
Chill 4 hours in fridge.
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls* and place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Watch them the last couple of minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
Take them out of the oven and drop them into a bowl of powdered sugar while they are still warm. Set out to cool.
You may notice that these have pine nuts instead of the more traditional walnuts or pecans. My daughter developed an allergy to most nuts for a while, but she loves these cookies. Knowing that pine or pinon nuts were one she could eat, we substituted them in. They add a subtle nuttiness that’s not overpowering, and they taste wonderful.
*I tend to roll them slightly smaller so the dough will go further, and I actually like them that way – just enough for a taste, but not so much that you feel like you might overdo it if you eat two (or 10!). I used a 1 tsp measuring cup until I got a melon baller – it works perfectly! I scoop them, slightly roll them, and drop them onto the baking sheet. Perfectly bite sized.