14 December 2011

Stuffed Snowballs



Snowballs. Butterballs. Russian Teacakes. Mexican Wedding Cookies. I never know what to call these cookies. The have so many names it's like they're felons or something.

I grew up eating these cookies at Christmas, but that's not why I made them. I realized I haven't talked books in awhile and I really wanted to introduce you to a series I really, really loved. In order to that, I needed to bake something, of course.

The series (and the name of the first book) is called Perfect Chemistry, by Simon Elkeles. It's a trilogy of young adult books (I can't seem to get enough of those lately) about three brothers who fall in love. The brothers are Mexican and come from the rough side of town. Of course, the girls they fall for are the total opposite of them (rich white girls) and trouble ensues. But, you should never judge a book (or a person) by it's cover, because the Fuentes brothers have a lot of layers to them.

And you shouldn't judge these cookies that way either.

Because these cookies have a secret. They're stuffed.


With Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Oh, yes I did.

They are buttery, nutty, sugary cookies stuffed with a peanut butter cup and rolled in more sugar.

You're welcome.



Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter Cups. *Swoon*


Squish some dough flat and place a peanut butter cup on top. Add more dough on top (c'mon, it's the holidays, calories don't count!) and roll them into a ball. Super easy!

Now you have a great cookie to eat and a great series to read. Don't say I never did anything for you!

Seriously, these books are great. Cute, quick reads. Because who has time for War and Peace when you have stuffed cookies to make?

{Note: there is a print link in the footer of the post, please visit the post to print.}

Stuffed Snowballs
Recipe adapted from my Mom’s

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
24 miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (or other small candy of your choice), unwrapped
Powdered sugar for rolling

Directions:
1.       Preaheat oven to 375°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2.       Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Stir in the nuts. If dough is too soft, chill it until you can work it easily with your hands.
3.       Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and flatten with your hands. Place 1 miniature Reese’s on top. Take another tablespoon of dough, flatten it, and lay it on top the peanut butter cup. Press the sides together and roll to form a sealed ball of dough. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
4.       Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for just a minute, until you can handle them. Fill a small bowl with additional powdered sugar and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated. Place on a rack to cool.  (Once cookies are cooled, you may want to re-roll them in more powdered sugar.)

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

What good books are you reading?


This recipe may be linked with:
MondayMingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of DessertsTuesday2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training). WednesdayMrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  ThursdaySweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents). FridaySweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate). SaturdaySweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). SundayA Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Moms Crazy Cooking



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