Coconut Snowballs

A delightful cookie whether for afternoon tea or for a Christmas cookie plate. From a beloved but not used as much cookbook, Cold Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase -- she of Nantucket's Que Sera Sarah food shop fame.
As described by her "Three favorite flavors of Christmas abound in these buttery morsels -- lemon, orange and coconut. The glistening sugar coating recalls one of the most poetic lines from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" 'the moon on the breas of the new fallen snow gave the luster of midday to objects below.'"
I think they are a close kin to what is known as Mexican Wedding Cakes, Swedish Tea Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes but substituting coconut for the nuts, adding citrus zest and then instead of a roll in powdered sugar, you use granulated which gives them that glistening snowy quality.
They're tasty little cookies and go so well with afternoon tea. Like their "cousins" (the Mexican, Swedish, Russian cakes), they would look good on a Christmas cookie plate.

Join Michael at Designs by Gollum for this is Foodie Friday!

Coconut Snowballs

(from Cold Weather Cooking)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 c. sugar (plus additional for coating)

1 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, lightly toasted

1 T. grated lemon zest

1 T. grated orange zest

Preheat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Gradually stir in the flour to make a fairly stiff dough. Work in the coconut and citrus zests until evenly distributed.

Shape the dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place in rows about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake until bottoms of the cookies just begin to take on a hint of color, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool a minute or two, then roll in a shallow dish of sugar to coat. Cool completely and store in an airtight container up to one week.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.