On Sand Tarts

Sand tarts.  Pecan sandies.  Snowball cookies. Mexican wedding cookies.  Russian tea cakes.

You know the cookie--round, even ball-like, or crescent-shaped, covered in powdered sugar, filled with a crumbly, dry cookie and lots of pecans.

They were long my very least favorite cookie.  I didn't like the nuts and I didn't like the sandy texture; they were always such a disappointment.

Until recently.  Both last Christmas and this, I found myself liking the sandies, even choosing them over other cookies.  For our baking bonanza this year, Mama Teacher made sandies--and they were delicious!  And there were none left in our house, the only cookie that was completely gone without sharing. Mmm, mmm, good.  My favorite cookie from the church holiday bake sale?  Sandies made with mini-chips instead of pecans.

And then out of the blue, Gommie called me asking about sandies, looking for my paternal grandmother's sand tart recipe.  And awhile later I found it, in her distinctive handwriting, in a little recipe book my aunt photocopied from the treasured original.  I made a copy for Gommie.

Finally, I've been eyeing a recipe, "cocoa wedding cookies," that is a chocolate sand tart with mini-chips and pecans.  I didn't get to make it over the break but hope to make a batch before morning coffee next week.  Right now, I just can't imagine a better cookie than that!

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Mama Teacher's Snowball Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups finely ground pecans

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with mixer until creamy.  Blend in flour, pecans and salt.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 mins.  Cool then roll in powdered sugar.

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Grandmother's Sand Tarts

(transcribed from picture)

2 sticks butter

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 tablespoons sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Roll into crescents or balls--bake 30-45 min at 300F.

Mommy Hungry

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Cocoa Wedding Cakes

2 cups pecans
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 cups cold butter (4 sticks), cut into pieces (do not use margarine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate mini-chips

Preheat oven to 325F.

In food processor, pulse pecans with 1 cup confectioner's sugar until pecans are finely ground.  Add butter and vanilla and process until smooth.  Add flour and cocoa and mix evenly (I had to do this in my mixer because it wouldn't fit in my processor).  Add chocolate chips and combine.

With floured hands, shape dough by rounded teaspoons into 1-inch balls.  Place balls 1" apart.

Bake cookies until begin to firm to touch (the original recipe says "lightly browned"--how do you tell that with cocoa cookies??), 16-18 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cool slightly.  

Sift remaining confectioner's sugar onto paper to roll cookies into it OR, as we did, sift sugar over cookies on cooling rack.  To cover completely, sift more powdered sugar on when completely cool and ready to serve.

makes appx. 108 cookies

Good Housekeeping's The Great Christmas Cookie Swap Cookbook

Other Variations:

Snowball Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups finely ground pecans

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with mixer until creamy.  Blend in flour, pecans and salt.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 mins.  Cool then roll in powdered sugar.

Mama Teacher

Snowball Cookies

3/4 c butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 c flour

1 cup powdered sugar

Diretions

1. preheat over to 350

2. line a baking tray with foil

3. in large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using electric mixer

  add salt, egg, and vanilla, mixing constanly

  Slowly add the flour and continue mixing until the ingreadients are well-combined

4. use hands to shape it into round, 1-inch balls

  place each ball 2 inches apart on baking tray

5. bake for 15 min or until bottoms are golden

  let cool for 5 min on a wire rack

6. while the cookies are baking, sift the powdered sugar into a large plastic bag

7. after they have cooled, place in bag and gently shake

Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes)—One of Miss L’ mom’s specialties

6 oz shortening and 2 oz butter (or 8 oz butter)

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt (optional)

1 cup coarsely ground nuts (pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, etc)

Additional confectioner’s sugar for coating

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Blend shortening and /or butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Stir the flour with salt and beat into shortening.  Stir in nuts.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto nonstick baking sheets or roll into 1-inch balls.  Bake at 325 for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden  Remove and cool.  Roll twice in confectioner’s sugar

Miss L’s Mom

J.D.’s Russian Tea Cakes

2 sticks softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 walnuts, finely ground in food processor or blender

2 cups confectioners' sugar for coating

Heat oven to 400 degrees  Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until blended.  On low speed beat in flour and walnuts until blended.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.Bake 10 min (cookie may crack slightly).  Roll hot cookies in remaining 2 cups sugar until coated and cool on cookie rack.  Once cooled roll again in confectioners' sugar.   Enjoy!!

Italian Nut Balls—Another of Miss L’s mom’s specialties

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

¾ cup butter, softened

2 egg yolks, reserve whites

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

2 cups flour

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 cup chopped nuts

Your favorite jelly

Mix sugar, salt, butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract on medium until well blended.  Slowly add flour at low speed.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip into egg whites.  Roll in chopped nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, and make a deep depression in the center of each. Bake at 350 for 10 – 12 minutes. Fill with jelly while still warm.

Mini-Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

Powdered sugar

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired. Store in airtight containers.