"Not to bring up any painful memories," writes Jason, "but last year, around this time, you promised to share your mom's christmas cookie recipe with us. I would love to try it out if you're okay with sharing the recipe. If not, it's okay. I just thought I'd check and see."

I'm delighted to share my mom's Christmas cookie recipe. She made these chocolate snowballs every year when her kids were young. Once her kids were grown, Ma Savage shipped tins off to us if we couldn't make it home for Christmas. Now I make them in December and ship tins off to my siblings on mom's behalf. They're easy to make and a great recipe if you have little kids: there's a step where you roll the dough into balls, a perfect job for little (freshly washed) hands. The recipe—which I usually double or triple—is after the jump.

I made some earlier this week, had a little sob, and got some tins off to my sibs. I'm delighted to share mom's recipe with you, Jason, and with other Sloggers. Enjoy.

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!