Model Bites: Southern Snowballs

I come from a family that loves sweets. Every year around this time we're baking up a storm in the kitchen. My mom tackles the cakes and pies while my sister whips up the cookies. I'm the official taste tester and occasional sous chef, and I play my role well. "Ma, I think you need more butter in this," I'll say. Or "Let me taste the batter before you put that in the oven." Such a dessert critic. For this edition of Model Bites I'm sharing a different take on one of my sissy's famous cookies. What's my twist? Bring on the coconut!

For this Southern Snowballs recipe, here's what you'll need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon milk (optional)
A pinch of salt (optional)

Pecans are a staple in Southern desserts, so of course I'm including them in this recipe. Forget the pre-packaged nuts and get fresh ones. They are so moist and will make your cookie taste great. If I were you I'd buy more than the recipe requires. Pecans are great for snacking.

Chop these babies to your liking. I will often break the pecans down into small pieces and then chop by hand. You can also choose to put them in a food processor for a finer consistency. But I like them chunky and a little powdery.

Combine your sugars with your nuts. I add 1/2 cup brown sugar and only 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. You can save the rest of the powdered for later. The mixture should be kind of grainy.


Now add your vanilla to the butter. Blend, blend, blend. You can do this in a mixer or churn it out in a bowl with a spoon. The latter will take more work, but your arms will get nice and toned.


Combine butter mix with your nut and sugar mix. Whip it up! Time for our test. How does that taste? Does it need more uumph? Add a dash of cinnamon and maybe a little salt. That should do the trick. Oh, you should also preheat the oven at 350 degrees.


Ok here's the fun part. Combine your flour with the butter-nut-sugar mixture. Don't just dump it all in at the same time. Add the flour to the rest bit by bit. If you're doing this the old-fashioned way without a big mixer, this may be a challenge. Just remember you're burning off all those calories that you'll be putting back into your body later. I call it the preemptive workout. Now slowly sprinkle in your coconut.

Your mix will be crumbly. If your consistency still isn't right, add a little milk. Continue to mix together. This is when I really take matters into my own hands. Forget the spoon and bowl,and get your hands in there. You can do it, out your back into it!


Form dough into one giant ball. It's ok to get messy with it. Pinch off a little dough and form a nice round snowball. Roll it around in your hands so it's round and pretty. Arrange individual snowballs on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.


Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy a cocktail while you're waiting. This one was concocted by Taye Of Stuff She Likes and is made with Kombucha. It's really yummy and surprisingly healthy. Get Taye's Moscow Mule recipe here.


Your snowballs should be ready. They will be slightly golden. Please don't over cook. Take out of the oven and let cool. Once cooled, sprinkle with the remaining powdered sugar. You can either dust them lightly or pile on the snow. Don't they look fan-freaking-tastic!


Now that you made a couple of dozen of cookies that you can't possibly eat all by yourself, share with some friends. Not only did Taye like them, but her pups wanted some too. The Southern Snowball combines the flavor of the islands with Carolina charm. Perfect for your holiday entertaining. I hope you enjoy eating these as much as I do.

Y'all come back now. Ya hear!