A Snowball's Chance: Mexican Snowball Cookies

Need a little something to melt your true love's heart this season? Give these Mexican Snowballs a try! Like a Russian Teacake's spicier cousin, these little devils go down well with a good cup of coffee (or a nice glass of red wine). The cayenne pepper adds a pleasant warmth, without being too hot to handle ;-)

Mexican Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 additional cup powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then blend in vanilla. Add flour mixture until combined, then stir in the pecans. Bring dough together with your hands (wrap tightly in plastic and chill for a few minutes if dough seems to soft at this stage).  Roll dough into one-inch balls and place an inch apart on lined baking sheets. Bake until set and just barely colored, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for two minutes, then roll immediately in powdered sugar and place on lined racks; once completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar again and store in an airtight container.

Notes: These are not overly sweet or chocolate-y, but you could certainly substitute 1/2 cup finely chopped chocolate (or mini chips) for the pecans to make them more decadent. If you have a favorite dried, ground chili, such as ancho or chipotle, use it in place of the cayenne.

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