Christmas Cookie Jar: Nutty Orange Balls

Good morning, bloggy friends and readers! Well, I had this post in mind for yesterday but it didn’t happen. We started baking for Christmas yesterday, but…I didn’t get them finished in time to take a picture. The time change makes it hard to take decent pictures anytime after 5. Does that ever happen to you? Do your best-laid plans ever get foiled by lack of sunlight? Ahh, the pitfalls of blogging.

Anyway, these little guys are quite addictive. I love the citrus flavor, and the powdered sugar in the batter makes them melt in your mouth. Delish! This is the third or fourth year we’ve made this kind of cookie, and it’s now one of our standards. When our oldest was 2, I caught her with powdered sugar all over her face, so I asked her if she stole a cookie from the cookie plate. She solemnly shook her head no, so I held her up in front of a mirror and asked her if she’d like to change her answer. She said, “But I just love those ‘flowered sugar’ ones!” You see, there’s family lore attached to these cookies now, so we HAVE to keep making them!

Nutty Orange Balls (aka “Flowered Sugar Ones”)
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. orange extract
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. walnuts, finely chopped

Cream the butter and 3/4 c. of the powdered sugar until fluffy. Beat in the zest and orange extract.

Combine the flour and salt and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the nuts.

Shape into balls and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool, then toss them in the remaining 1/2 c. of powdered sugar. (Hint: If you put the powdered sugar in a small bowl, and let your kids roll each cookie around in it, they’ll get done in a jiffy.)

These come together really quickly, and it’s an easy one for the kids to help with because the dough isn’t too sticky for them to handle and help shape. Have fun!