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Chef Linda
Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food.
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Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes)

By Chef Linda

For me, Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes) are the essence of what holiday baking is about; sweet, simple and sparkly. With only a few ingredients, you can whip these up quickly when the cookie jar is getting empty. Depending on your preference, you can omit the double sugar-rolling process and just sift the powdered sugar on top to reduce the sweetness. The cookie is tender, crumbly and melts in your mouth.

The conversion of this recipe to a vegan version calls for just one substitution; using vegan butter, like Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, to replace the dairy-based butter. Use colored sugar crystals mixed in with the powdered sugar when rolling and your cookies will have a little extra sparkle for holiday gift-giving.

When you can't have a white Christmas, a plate full of Snowballs will do the trick.

Ingredients

 2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 cup walnuts
 ½ cup powdered sugar
 ¼ tsp fine salt (not kosher)
 1 cup vegan butter sticks (I used Earth Balance sticks)
 2 tsp vanilla extract
 More powdered sugar and colored decorative sugar, for rolling

Directions

1

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, walnuts, powdered sugar, and salt until walnuts are finely ground.

Cut vegan butter into small chunks and add to flour mixture. Pulse to combine. Add vanilla and blend till dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and chill for about an hour, until firm. This helps to relax the gluten and make the cookies tender, not tough.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to portion dough and roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking trays, 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are just barely turning lightly golden in color. Remove from the oven.

Sift some powdered sugar onto a large plate or wide bowl and add in colored sugar, mix together. While the cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar and set aside to cool completely. Roll in sugar a second time and serve.

Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes)
IngredientsDirections

Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes)

DifficultyEasyCook Time15 mins
YIELDS
About 4 dozen

Snowballs
INGREDIENTS

 2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 cup walnuts
 ½ cup powdered sugar
 ¼ tsp fine salt (not kosher)
 1 cup vegan butter sticks (I used Earth Balance sticks)
 2 tsp vanilla extract
 More powdered sugar and colored decorative sugar, for rolling

DIRECTIONS

1

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, walnuts, powdered sugar, and salt until walnuts are finely ground.

Cut vegan butter into small chunks and add to flour mixture. Pulse to combine. Add vanilla and blend till dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and chill for about an hour, until firm. This helps to relax the gluten and make the cookies tender, not tough.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to portion dough and roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking trays, 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are just barely turning lightly golden in color. Remove from the oven.

Sift some powdered sugar onto a large plate or wide bowl and add in colored sugar, mix together. While the cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar and set aside to cool completely. Roll in sugar a second time and serve.

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