Coconut Snowball Cookies -- The December Cookie That Starts Christmas

December. Christmas, Rachel's birthday, and the annual argument about lights. Ryan: 'We're in base housing. We don't need lights.' Me: 'We're in base housing. We ESPECIALLY need lights.' The lights went up. Warm white around the door and kitchen window. The amount that says 'someone lives here and they celebrate things.' Caleb helped decorate the tree — a six-foot artificial pine that has survived four duty stations. Ornaments are a marriage history: 'First Christmas' from Jacksonville, Hawaiian ball from a thrift store, ceramic snowflake Caleb painted at Twentynine Palms. Hazel's contribution: she removed ornaments from the bottom two feet and carried them to the kitchen. She's redistributing Christmas. Mom sent the annual care package: gingerbread cookie mix, an ornament (tiny cast iron skillet with 'Cook with Love' painted on it), and a note: 'Year 26 of care packages. I'll stop when I'm dead.' She means it. Donna Abernathy is eternal. My birthday is December 9th. I'll be twenty-six. A mother of two, wife of five years, author of two books, a woman who can make pot roast in her sleep. Made gingerbread cookies tonight. The December cookie. The cookie that starts Christmas regardless of the calendar. December. Lights. Cookies. Twenty-six.

Mom’s care package started the whole thing — gingerbread mix on the counter, the kitchen smelling like December before I’d even turned the oven on. Once the cookies were cooling and Hazel had redistributed enough ornaments to satisfy herself, I wanted to keep that warmth going a little longer. These Coconut Snowball Cookies felt exactly right: white as the Christmas lights around the door, soft and sweet, the kind of thing you make when you want the evening to last. Twenty-six looks a lot like this — flour on the counter, kids nearby, and something good in the oven.

Coconut Snowball Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 cup more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add extracts. Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract until fully combined.
4. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
5. Fold in coconut. Stir in the finely chopped coconut (and nuts, if using) by hand until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
6. Shape the cookies. Scoop and roll dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly golden and the tops look set but not browned. Do not overbake — they should stay pale.
8. Roll in powdered sugar. While still warm, gently roll each cookie in the remaining powdered sugar until fully coated. Place on a wire rack to cool completely, then roll in powdered sugar a second time for a thick, snowy coating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 112 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 28mg