a not new recipe...

...but so yummy, it is ready to be revived, recycled and return to popular, common use. I thought about this one when talking to F. about sherry. Any mention of sherry as the drink, makes me think of my dad's mom. Who in her later years, always had a little 'tot' before bedtime, reportedly saying it was for 'medicinal purposes only'. She was in her mid-nineties when she died, so at that age, enjoying anything she wanted to consume should not have been questioned, plus she was a died-in-the-wool Presbyterian, and they never yet saw the harm in an the occasional bending of the elbow.

The recipe in question was one for cookies, calls for a Tablespoon from the bottle of sherry. A family favorite, though I have not made it in years. I can understand how your taste buds would get a 'hankerin' for something and nothing else will do. The remembered cookies are very similar in taste and texture to shortbread, sprinkled with powdered sugar when they cool. The thing is when you bite into what you think might taste like a wedding cookie, judging by size and shape, there is a surprise in the middle. And your mouth says: 'What?' when you get to the chocolate kiss hidden in the center

They were making the cookies called 'snowballs' this afternoon. And probably eating as many of the kisses as they hid in the cookies. All I want is one. And in reality, the cookie dough, loaded with butter is so good, I would prefer mine to not have been in the oven. There are no eggs involved, so it is safe for those to whom I have taught bad kitchen habits to eat it straight from the bowl, before it goes in the oven.

Snowballs
1/2 pound unsalted butter (two sticks), no oleo or substitutes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. sherry
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Chocolate kisses
confectioners sugar for dusting

Cream softened butter, sugar, sherry till fluffy. Add flour, stir in nuts. Form into ball. Chill at least an hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Peel kisses, pinch off a bit of dough, about one inch in size. Form dough ball around kiss. completely covering chocolate. I find they keep their shape better if you refrigerate again. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 12 min. Do not let brown. Let cool completely, dust with confectioners sugar. Makes about 4 -4 1/2 dozen.