California Snowballs Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.