I saw this picture on my Quay Lo’s Facebook wall few days ago and here is his message:
“Speaking of the year of the Dragon, it looks like the little warrior Goku san from Dragon Ball fame had better watch out this year.”
But my message to him is this when he left a batch of delicious Swedish Wedding Balls that he made, on the kitchen table:
“Better beware of our little terror, Ranger, our cat. Quay Lo San, you better watch out that if you don’t hide your balls, you will lose them!” Haiyah, this doesn’t sound like a polite sentence but do I have any other better way to say it? LOL!
Ranger will touch anything and everything and make a mess just to satisfy his curiosity. Now, I truly understand why there is this phrase, "curiosity kills the cat". He is now four months older since the day we rescued him from the drain. He is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in our home. Why do I say that? Oh yes, it is confirmed that he has split personality. When he is Dr. Jekyll, he wants all the attention you can give him but when he is Mr. Hyde, he will bite the hand that feeds him. He can make me love him to death one minute and get furious with him the next. Go figure! You will understand why I said that after you see his photos which was taken by me and edited by my Quay Lo.
So much about our little terror, and I am sure you are now wondering what the delicious balls look like and some might be interested to make them so here is my Mother-in-law's recipe that was passed down to my Quay Lo.
Two of my blogger friends, Small Kucing and his family and Cleffairy and her son have tasted these delicious balls. In fact, her son finished them all before his Daddy had a chance to taste one. Then later, Small Kucing told me that they tasted them and they were delicious. I guess it is worth including these balls in your Chinese New Year’s cookie list. Since these balls have so many different names, how about add one more and we call these "Dragon balls" for the Year of the Dragon? There seems to be an open license to call them whatever we wish, to join labels like:
Mexican (or “Swedish” or“Danish”) Wedding Cookies or sometimes called “cakes” as in "Russian Wedding cake")
A Note from my Quay Lo:
"My Mom called these Swedish Wedding Cookies. I think it all depends on what you heard it called first which determines how you personally label these. Many variations exist. What is clear is that it is a wide spread, basic recipe for an unleavened sweet that keeps well, and accompanies tea and/or coffee very well."
Added post pub: Wikipedia suggests these pastries are related to recipes that appeared as early as the 17th century for a pastry called "Jumble", and were popular for their simplicity, taste, and the ability to store them for up to a year. Originating either in Italy or the Middle East the "cake" called for almonds instead of the pecans introduced in the Northern hemisphere. Other variations called for favoring with aniseed, carraway, rosewater, and other flavoring spices offering a large potential for experimentation. The common element in most of these recipes is the ratio of shortening to flour, the use of nuts and/or nut flours, and the omission of leavening agents. Wikipedia also notes the variety of names under which the various recipes are found, and in particular, their appearance in wedding celebrations.
Added post pub: Wikipedia suggests these pastries are related to recipes that appeared as early as the 17th century for a pastry called "Jumble", and were popular for their simplicity, taste, and the ability to store them for up to a year. Originating either in Italy or the Middle East the "cake" called for almonds instead of the pecans introduced in the Northern hemisphere. Other variations called for favoring with aniseed, carraway, rosewater, and other flavoring spices offering a large potential for experimentation. The common element in most of these recipes is the ratio of shortening to flour, the use of nuts and/or nut flours, and the omission of leavening agents. Wikipedia also notes the variety of names under which the various recipes are found, and in particular, their appearance in wedding celebrations.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent or roll in a ball. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks
