Directions
Step 1: Over medium heat toast the nuts for about 8 minutes or until browned and fragrant. Finely chop the nuts and set aside.
Step 2: Whip together the room temperate butter with the powdered sugar until light in color and fluffy. This takes about 5 minutes. Make sure to use room temperature butter so the mixture whips together with ease and there are not lumps.
Step 3: Mix in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. If you only have vanilla extract that works as well, just do 2 teaspoons of whatever kind of vanilla you have.
Step 4: Add in the flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms.
Step 5: Scoop the dough on to a cutting board covered in parchment paper. I like using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop so all the dough balls are the same size. Place the scooped cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or more. NOTE: The dough must chill for at least an hour or more. Since the dough is mostly butter they must chill so the cookies hold the snowball shape while baking.
Step 6: Once the dough has chilled, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper one inch a part. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Turn the baking sheet and bake for another 6 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden.
Step 7: Let the cookies cool for a few minutes and then coat them in powdered sugar. Place the cookies on a tray to finish cooling completely.
Step 8: Once the cookies have cooled completely, give them another toss in powdered sugar. The double dunk in powdered sugar is a must. The first dunk gives the initial sweet coating and the second keeps the cookies bright white and adds another layer of sweetness.
Step 9: Enjoy! Store in an air tight container or zip top bag for up to a 3 days. You can also make the dough ahead of time and keep chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
