Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Series

Have I got a treat for you. Today, I am actually featuring one of my own recipes. It's an adaptation of a commonly known cookie called snowballs, Russian teacakes, or Mexican wedding cakes.

Whatever you call them, their buttery deliciousness is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of warm, fragrant tea.

My mother made these every year and when I embarked on my own holiday traditions, I made it a point to include these staples in our cookie repertoire.

A few years back, I came across a friend who made these little teacakes rolled in powdered sugar with honey instead of granulated sugar.

The difference was enchanting, the complexity of the honey shining through with each nibble.

I scoured the internets for a recipe that duplicated the ingredients and came up empty handed. So I rolled up my sleeves and created my own. I experimented with it last year, made some adjustments and then this time around, got it just right. I don't typically appreciate a lot of nut in my cookies, but the pecans are the perfect counterpoint here to the honey. Chopped up small, they compliment the texture instead of confusing it.

A few notes on this recipe:

1. These are very easy to overbake. They should be pulled as soon as the bottoms start to brown but it can be hard to tell since the tops stay a snowy white until pretty far into the process. So lift one up and take a peek about 9 minutes in and adjust baking time accordingly.

2. Don't use salted pecans. I am not going to assume you know this. Somebody should tell you. You never use salted or roasted nuts in baking unless specified. The salt content can throw off the recipe and overwhelm the other flavors of the cookie.

3. The dough should be velvety to the touch. Not sticky, not crumbly. It might require messing with the ratios here a bit at the end to get the dough texture you desire.

4. Roll these immediately in high quality powdered sugar. C&H or such. The heat of the cookie will actually help the sugar melt a bit and adhere better.

So let's get rolling with a Sweet Little Life original.

Teacakes are buttery bites of bliss, but this cookie is seriously some next level shit. Infused with honey. Pecans in every bite. What could go wrong?

Except the five pounds I gained this week. Well, there's that.

You can add a smidge more flour if these are too sticky to roll. Or you can put them in the fridge for a bit to stiffen up. Either way, keep these babies small. Roll them into 3/4 - 1/2 inch balls.

That's it. Pop them into the oven and roll them in powdered sugar while they're still blissfully warm. They'll be the best bites of cookie you'll ever have the pleasure of putting your mouth on this holiday. Promise. Until tomorrow friends, when we return with the next day of holiday cookies, stay sweet.

And save some room for dessert.

Honey Pecan Teacakes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325°. In large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds, add honey and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, beat well, scraping sides of the bowl. Stir in flour. Add pecans last on low speed. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Gently roll cookies in powdered sugar once when warm and then again when cooled. Serve immediately or freeze for up to 2-3 weeks.