Finally, a cookie

Coconut Butterballs
Southern Living Our Best Recipes Copyright 1970

1 cup soft butter or margarine I used butter and wouldn't recommend margarine for a cookie like this
¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups flaked coconut
sifted powdered sugar

Cream butter or margarine until light and fluffy; gradually add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Blend in flour, then coconut. The batter is crumbly until you form it into balls. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for about 15 minutes. bake at 350 degrees F about 15 minutes or until delicately browned. While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.

Yield: 4 dozen I made 1 1/2 batches and only got 50 cookies, using my small cookie scoop to measure the dough
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Yes, I finally have a cookie recipe to show you. There was a time when I didn't make fudge or candies at all, just a few short years ago. With the frustrations I had this year, I may go back to an all cookie line-up next year.

Way back when, we used to make Moldy Mice for Christmas. They were just a snowball cookie, also known by a myriad of other names but somehow more fun when you call them Moldy Mice. Snowball cookies are usually a real crowd pleaser but almost every recipe I've seen for these cookies calls for some type of nut, strategically ground into the cookie dough. I was pleased to find this nut-free recipe lurking in one of my favorite old cookbooks, a Southern Living compilation from 1970. And no, in case you were wondering, a coconut is not a nut, it's a fruit (I'm seen it called a seed too but it's definitely not a nut).

Damn these are good. When I open the container, the sight and smell of these cookies brings back a lot of memories. It's been a while since I had the nut version but I think these are very close in flavor. The butter and vanilla are the predominant flavors, with a hint of coconut. This cookie has definitely earned a place in the permanent line-up.

Yikes, I've got a lot of baking to do today! I'd better get started.