Blogs Recycled Recipes from Vintage Boxes 

Lemon Snowballs and Rosettes – perfect for the storm

Ann Marie Bezayiff

Lemon Snowballs and Rosettes: Powdered Sugar Snowfalls

Snowing outside? Why not add a white dusting in the kitchen as well. This crunchy, powdered sugar, coated cookie makes a mess but is worth the effort. Add a cup of hot chocolate while waiting out the storm. Nice tradition.

I was first introduced to Rosettes at an open-air market in the Ballard District in Seattle; I’ve been making them ever since.

christmascookies 004Rosettes: Recipe card from Mike Roy’s family recipes, 1960s or earlier

  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (desserts only)
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla or lemon abstract
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Paper Towels

Beat eggs, salt & sugar. Add flour and milk, half at a time, beat until smooth. Add flavoring. Fry in deep fat (375 degrees) per instructions on rosette iron.

christmascookies 012Note on Recipe Card: Batter is better made earlier and allowed to rest for a few hours for a crisper cookie (Cover batter and set in the refrigerator for 2 hours).

Notes from Unusual Old World and American Recipes, Nordic Ware Rosettes Box 1940s or 50s (pre-zip codes address on the box): Dip iron into hot fat, in a deep kettle to heat it, then drain excess fat on brown paper. Fat should be hot enough to brown a piece of bread while counting sixty. Dip heated iron in batter to not more than three-fourths in height. Plunge batter-coated iron quickly into the hot fat and cook from two-three minutes (until active bubbling ceases). Remove from iron, and drain on brown paper. If your rosettes are not crisp, the batter is too thick and should be diluted with milk. While still warm, dip in powdered sugar.

Leif Erikson. The first time I saw the stature of Leif Erikson at the entrance to Shilshole Marina in Seattle, I was confused. According to my understanding of history, the Vikings landed on the eastern shore of North America, not the western coast. So why a stature of a Viking in Seattle? Turns out Seattle has a large Scandinavian-American population. Not to be outdone by the Italian immigrants who claimed Columbus discovered the new world, the Scandinavians claimed the Viking expeditions as an earlier contact. Regardless, they also claim some unique regional recipes including these tasty Rosettes.

Lemon Snowballs: From a collection of recipes from Ruth-Naomi Bible Class, St. Mathews Lutheran Church, 1954

  • Mix ½ cup shortening, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, 1 egg.
  • Stir in 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water.
  • Sift and stir in 1 ¾ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon soda, ½ teaspoon cream of tarter.
  • (Optional: ½ cup finely chopped nuts.)

Flour hands and form dough into size of small walnuts. Place 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. When done, roll in confectioners sugar while still warm.  Recipe from Miss Mary Heichel

This is a different variation of more commonly known cookies titled: Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Pecan Balls, Snowballs, Swedish Tea Cakes or Pecan Sandies.