So, after making these chocolate orange balls, I asked Mr. C. to give one a try and see if they were fit to share with others. Once he stopped smiling, he assured me that they were more than alright, and could I please save him at least 5 dozen for his own consumption. I quickly explained that I hadn’t even made that many to begin with, but yes, there would be plenty left for him. (As if he ever had to give a thought to me not saving some of the goodies for him!) (Silly guy!) Anyway, I’m no dummy. I quickly figured out that he REALLY LIKED THESE TASTY TREATS.

So, if you too are thinking about giving something homemade to one of your nearest and dearest for Christmas, this might be the perfect recipe for you.

Now I know, this is not a quick and easy recipe to prepare. But I suppose if push came to shove, you could buy shortbread cookies for the crumbs part of the recipe. Or as I read in some recipes, you could use vanilla wafers. But using vanilla wafers just wouldn’t be the same. Nothing could ever possibly replace a true shortbread cookie for depth of flavor or consistency. Plus, if you make the shortbread yourself, you will have leftover shortbread to go with your eleven o’clock cup of coffee or tea. And how delightful a contemplation is that?

So, since I am also very busy getting ready for Christmas, I will stop writing today and get on with ticking off more items on my “to do” list. (And yes, at my age I must make a list, or important things like wrapping gifts simply wouldn’t get done.)

So, from one harried Mrs. Santa to all the rest of you Santas out there – have fun, stay sane, take frequent short breaks, and think up ways to lift the spirits of others. It starts with each of us. And we all know that a positive attitude is contagious. And if we are having fun, so will those around us. On that happy note – have a holly, jolly Christmas and the best New Year ever!

And as always, peace and love to all.  

3 c. shortbread cookie crumbs (see shortbread recipe below)

1 c. powdered sugar, plus more for rolling

1 c. lightly toasted pecans, finely chopped

7 tsp. good cocoa powder

3 T. corn syrup

½ c. Cointreau or other orange liqueur 

Mix the shortbread crumbs, 1 cup powdered sugar, pecans, and cocoa powder together in a mixing bowl.

Whisk the corn syrup and Cointreau together in a small bowl and add to the dry mix. Mix well. (If the mixture seems a bit wet, you can always stir in a couple more tablespoons of shortbread crumbs to the mix.)

Using a small ice cream scoop, form the mixture into equal sized balls. Place on a small parchment paper lined baking sheet. After the balls have all been scooped, use your hands to compact the mixture into smaller balls. Then roll them in powdered sugar and place back on the parchment paper. Refrigerate for about an hour. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your refrigerator.

Shortbread Recipe:

1½ c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ c. powdered sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ tsp. salt  

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.  With your mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until dough forms. Place dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Using your hands, wrap the dough into the plastic wrap gently shaping it into a compact round log about 1½ inches wide.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Un-wrap log and using a sharp knife, slice dough at least 3/8-inch thick. (If dough feels really hard, leave at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes).

Arrange slices, about 1-inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Prick each cookie about 3 times with a fork.

Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not under-bake.) Cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place a few cookies in your food processor. Whirl until you have cookie crumbs and repeat until you have 3 cups of crumbs. Use the crumbs as directed above.

Store the remaining cookies in an airtight container. (This is a good thing. To have extra cookies that is. Because there is no better cookie than a simple shortbread cookie. And you’ve now built 2 treats for the work of one!)