A Holiday Treat!

Chocolate (Almond) Snowballs

Betty Crocker

Prep Time 20 Minutes

Total Time 1:00 Hr

Makes: About 5 dozen cookies (mine only made about 3 1/2 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1 teaspoon almond extract (This was delicious, but a very strong flavor, I may cut back slightly next time I make these)

60 Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates, unwrapped (For extra almond taste and crunch, use kisses with almonds)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg, flour, cocoa, almonds and extract until soft dough forms.
2. Shape dough into sixty 3/4-inch balls; wrap each around 1 milk chocolate candy. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (I did not form mine into balls first, I just wrapped the chocolates in dough as I went, but still don't see how you'd have enough dough to cover all 60 kisses unless they are supposed to be barely covered.)
   
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. Roll cookies in powered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Re-roll cookies in powdered sugar. Store tightly covered.

Note: In order to use all the kisses in one bag and make around 5 dozen, I would think you'd need to use 2 Sugar cookie mixes and double the ingredients accordingly. Except I would only increase the chopped almonds to 3/4 cup instead of 1 full cup. My cookies also seemed to flatten a little more than the picture showed. I cooked them for 10 minutes because they seemed too soft otherwise. I'm wondering if putting the kisses in the fridge for a little while beforehand might help them hold up more, but they were still delicious.

If you love almonds these are the cookies for you! They are sweet and crunchy and yummy! My kids had fun unwrapping the kisses and rolling the finished cookies in powdered sugar. We took them to a party so I put each one in a silver foil muffin cup to help contain some of the powdery sugar goodness.