Ingredients 2 cups Unsalted butter (4 sticks), room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar plus more for coating 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios (about 4 ounces), chopped 1 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries 3 1/3 cups sifted cake flour 1 2/3 cups sifted all purpose flour

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 heavy large baking sheets. Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups butter and 1 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt, then pistachios and cherries. Using spatula, stir in all flour (do not overmix dough).

Shape dough by generous tablespoonfuls into football-shaped ovals. Place on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until bottoms just begin to color, about 16 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 10 minutes before coating.

Pour generous amount of powdered sugar into medium bowl. Working with 5 or 6 warm cookies at a time, add cookies to bowl of sugar; gently turn to coat thickly. Transfer cookies to sheet of waxed paper. Repeat to coat cookies with sugar again; cool completely. do ahead Can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Yields: 80 cookies
     Bon Appetit magazine, December 2006, page 117

notes:  Recipe by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Border Grill

* Excellent twist on what I remember as "snowball" cookies as a child. I liked the crunch of the nuts and chewiness of the dried cherries contrasted with the tenderness of the cookie. I could not find unsalted pistachios, so I used salted and omitted the 1t of salt called for in the recipe and this worked fine. I also could only find dried cherries that included sugar, so I reduced the sugar in the recipe a bit. I would have liked the tartness of the unsugared cherries, but these were good nonetheless. I actually thought these were better after the first day. Kept them about a week. Will make again.

* Tart cherries are wonderful in this recipe. I super-dusted my cookies because I love the look but these babies are rich and sweet enough without extra powdered sugar.

* Thought these were awesome and definetly a keeper. Next time I will make them smaller as they are so rich. Loved the cherries -- I used tart sweetened, great touch!

Cuisine:   Mexican

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