my favorite christmas cookies

My favorite christmas cookies are what I call Snowballs.  Some people call them Russian Teacakes or Pecan balls.  I call them wonderful!
My mom always made these, and now my sister has taken on the honors of being the baker every Christmas.  She makes cookies, candies, cakes and all kinds of good, fattening things!
When my mom wrote out the recipe card for this cookie, up in the corner it says
"(this is the cookie you love - little white balls)"!
So here is the recipe for those wonderful little white balls!
Snowballs
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
mix thoroughly
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
sift together and stir into above
3/4 cups finely chopped nuts
mix into the above
chill dough - roll into 1" balls.  place on ungreased baking sheet.  bake at 400 until set, but not brown. (about 10-12 mins - but watch carefully because they burn fast)
while still warm, roll in confectioners sugar.  cool.  roll in sugar again.


pour a glass of milk.
enjoy!
ahhhh!




Another favorite at Christmas is Thumbprint Cookies


1 cup soft shortening (part margarine, part butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
mix thoroughly
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
sift together and stir into above
Roll into 1" balls,  dip in slightly beaten egg whites.  Roll in finely chopped nuts.
Place about 1" apart on an ungreased baking sheet and press thumb into the center of each. then my mom writes..."(usually when they are about half baked I press my thumb into them again because they kinda loose the indentation as they bake - but do it quick so you don't burn your finger!)"
Bake at 375 until set (about 10- 12 mins). 
cool
Fill the indent with confectioners icing colored with food coloring:
to make icing - start with a half stick of butter or margarin, add confectioners sugar, add a little milk stir until it is consistency of icing.  add about 1/2 tsp vanilla
divide the icing into how ever many colors you want  -usually pink, green, yellow.


Enjoy!