Snowballs Cookies

Melt-in-your-mouth almond cookies that will bring raves. Huge raves! You might also know them as butterballs, Russian tea cakes, almond Christmas cookies, or powdered sugar cookies. The cookie dough can be made ahead, uses few ingredients, and the baked cookies keep well for a few weeks.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cup ground almonds, toasted if you want to (see Notes below)
• Extra powdered sugar, for coating the cookies