Easy Nutty Orange Snowballs

Submitted by TheDancingCook

"My best friend Steph found this contest winning recipe in the Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazine and we decided to try them this year for our joint yearly holiday cookie baking day. Nutty and buttery with a hint of citrus flavor; a nice addition to any holiday cookie platter. We did use fresh grated orange peel."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 36 cookies
• Serves: 36

ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1⁄3 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated orange peel
• 1⁄2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup walnuts, chopped fine
• 1⁄2 cup hazelnuts, chopped fine
• ground cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in the fresh grated orange peel and the orange and vanilla extracts.
4. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt; gradually add this to creamed mixture and mix well.
5. Stir in chopped nuts; mix well.
6. Shape into 3/4 inch balls and place each ball about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven; transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
9. Place the remaining powdered sugar in a 1-gallon Ziplock bag; add a few cookies at a time and shake to coat.
10. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.
11. Store in an airtight container.