Best California Snowballs Recipes

SNOWBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Process pecans in food processor until finely chopped. Transfer chopped pecans to bowl; stir in flour and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add nut mixture. Beat just until dough is combined.
• Working with 1 tablespoon dough, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 16-18 minutes or until very lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes; transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Place powdered sugar into shallow bowl; roll cooled cookies in sugar to coat. Store in airtight container. If necessary, re-roll cookies in powdered sugar before serving.

SNOWBALLS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, pecans, and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown: it's better to undercook them than to overcook them. While cookies are still hot, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them in confectioners' sugar once more.

SNOWBALL

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. , In a large saucepan, combine the butter, milk, cocoa and vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in cracker crumbs and 1-1/2 cups coconut. Let stand until cool enough to handle., Using moistened hands, wrap about 1 tablespoon of mixture around each marshmallow (dip hands in water often to prevent sticking). Roll in remaining coconut; place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and freeze until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. May be frozen for up to 2 months.

MINI DATE-NUT SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Spread the coconut on a plate. Put the dates, almonds, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
• Form rounded 1/2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls with your fingers, then roll in the coconut, pressing to coat.

ALMOND SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and salt to soft peaks, then add sugar and beat again until peaks are stiff. Beat in almond flavoring. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in half of the coconut. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and flour, stir, then fold in the remaining coconut.
• Using a melon baller or other small scoop, or working with 2 spoons, form 9 "snowballs" a couple of inches apart on each of 2 cookie sheets. Bake snowballs 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and garnish each snowball with half a cherry and a couple of slivered almonds. Transfer to a rack or serving plate to cool.

COCONUT SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Whisk the rice flour and coconut in a small bowl. Beat the butter, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, the salt and vanilla seeds in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, then beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is no longer sticky, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies until set and lightly browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Put the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Gently roll the warm cookies in the confectioners' sugar and return to the baking sheet. Reroll the cookies in the confectioners' sugar, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

MEXICAN SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Cover two large baking dishes with plastic wrap, pulling so surface is taut. Drop 16 scoops of ice cream onto prepared dishes, dipping the ice-cream scoop in hot water as you work. Freeze balls until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss coconut with cinnamon. Toast, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; let cool.
• Working with one ice-cream ball at a time, remove from freezer, and roll in coconut mixture; return to dish in freezer. Freeze until set, at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day).

SUMMER SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• With an ice-cream scoop, form ice cream into 8 balls, dipping scoop in hot water as you work and dropping balls onto prepared dish. (To prepare the dish, tightly cover a baking dish with plastic wrap, stretching it over the top; this will prevent the snowballs from flattening on the bottom.) Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• One at a time, remove balls from freezer, roll in desired coating (1 1/2 cups total), and return to freezer. Freeze until set, at least 10 minutes, before serving.
• TOFFEE CHIPS: Use toffee chips straight from the bag, or crush up your favorite candies.
• TOASTED COCONUTS: Spread sweetened shredded coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees, tossing occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• TOASTED ALMONDS: Spread sliced almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees, tossing occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.