Tropical Hawaiian Snowballs (Hawaiian-Style Russian Tea Cookies)

These delicious cookies are like snowballs in that when they are left out they disappear quickly. No, they don't melt, but it seems that they attract little menehune (Hawaiian elves) that just love to gobble them all up when you're not looking! Cooking time includes 30 minutes for cookies to cool off. Also feel free to play around with the extracts. I have used pineapple extract with coconut extract, coconut and banana, and butter, rum and vanilla. All have come out well!

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 72
• Yields: 72 cookies

Ingredients

• 2  cups butter, unsalted
• 2  cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1  teaspoon  coconut extract
• 5  cups flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups  macadamia nuts, finely chopped
• 3  cups powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 5 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla and coconut extracts.
3. Sift together the flour and the salt.
4. Slowly add to the butter mixture.
5. Add nuts. Mix until blended well.
6. Roll into small, bite sized balls. (about 3/4 of an ounce or 2 tablespoons). I like to use a small #40 portion disher (small, 3/4 ounce sized, ice cream scoop) and place 1-inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until slightly golden.
8. While still warm, (not hot, not cold) roll through powdered sugar.
9. Keeps about a week (but they won't be around that long) in an air-tight container.