Hello, Dan!

I am in the middle of making your mother's cookies. However! You do not say enough about the pecans. Are they to be cut into wee bits? Larger sized? Whole? If you can answer as soon as possible, I will be very grateful. Thanks so much,

Ruth, Age 85!

My response after the jump...

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Dear Ruth,

It's best to leave them in large chunks—halves and wholes. It will mean that forming the 1" balls is a little more difficult, but so worth it when you crunch into large, crunchy, toasted pecan halves.

Thank for the note, and for causing me to think of my mom this morning.

xxxooo

Dan

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Muchas Gracias for your quick reply. I am now off and running! And I, too, am thinking of my Mom as I make her Buttermilk cookies.

Ruth

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Remember: my mom's cookies are NOT good fresh out of the oven, or even warm. They need to cool completely; I won't even eat one the day same day I bake 'em. These cookies—like so many things—only get better with age.

Dan

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Ma Savage's Christmas Snowballs
1 1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
2 c pecans
confectioners sugar

sift flour, salt, and cocoa together

cream butter & sugar until fluffy

add vanilla

gradually beat dry ingredients into butter & sugar

blend in pecans

form batter — which is thick — into a loaf, wrap in foil, put in fridge overnight.
cut loaf into inch-thick slices, cut slices into inch-square cubes, roll cubes into balls about 1 inch in diameter

bake on non-greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350. transfer cookies to counter and allow to cool completely. put cookies in tub or tin, sift confectioners sugar over cookies, put lid on, turn tin or tub over a few times to coat cookies with confectioners sugar.

best with ice cold milk!