I love baking Christmas cookies. I usually stick with my favorites, but this year, I decided to try a new recipe for a cookie exchange to which I was invited. There were 12 other women going to the exchange and I wanted to ensure I wasn’t bringing the same cookie as someone else. (I know its risky making a new cookie for an event like this, but I wanted to be unique!)
The recipe called for less sugar than I thought was normal, but I was hopeful. When the first batch came out of the oven and was cooled, I handed one to my two year old. She took one bite, said “gross” and threw it on the floor. I got nervous but was still optimistic thinking that she probably didn’t like the mint that was in them. That perhaps it was too much of an advanced flavor for tiny tastebuds to appreciate. However, upon further research (me eating one), I realized she was correct in her reaction. The cookies were terrible! They tasted like what I could only assume a piece of minty chalk would taste like.
So what was I to do? I needed 5 dozen good cookies pronto. I decided I needed to return to my tried and true classics and an easy one at that. So I opted for my personal favorite, Snowball Cookies. Maybe you know these as Russian Tea Cookies or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Regardless of the name, they are delicious. I did want to make them a bit extra special, so I decided to mix in my two of my favorite things, chocolate and toffee.
The end result was pure deliciousness. The little cookies have a crisp exterior with a wonderfully butter flavor. The toffee and chocolate are an extra little surprise inside and the powdered sugar exterior adds a delicate finish to the cookies. They are great alone or with your morning coffee. Try these cookies soon and trust me, you won’t be throwing these out.
-Brittany
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Next, add flour (1/2 cup at a time) and salt until combined. Throw in chocolate and toffee and mix until incorporated.
Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls using your hands. Place balls evenly spaced on 2 baking sheets.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven.
Once cookies are cool enough to handle, roll in extra powdered sugar. Place on a cooling rack to finish cooling. As cookies cool, some of the powdered sugar will melt into the cookie. If a bright white cookie is desired, roll again in powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Next, add flour (1/2 cup at a time) and salt until combined. Throw in chocolate and toffee and mix until incorporated.
Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls using your hands. Place balls evenly spaced on 2 baking sheets.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven.
Once cookies are cool enough to handle, roll in extra powdered sugar. Place on a cooling rack to finish cooling. As cookies cool, some of the powdered sugar will melt into the cookie. If a bright white cookie is desired, roll again in powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Dorothy Kern, Crazy for Crust.
