Sally

Peppermint Snowballs

2 1/4 c flour
1 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c crushed hard peppermint candies (candy canes)
2 T cream cheese, softened
1 tsp milk
1 drop red food color

Early in day:
Into large bowl, measure 1/2 c confectioner's sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla. With mixer at medium speed, beat ingredients until well mixed, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
In small bowl, toss together peppermint candy and 1/4 c confectioner's sugar.
In another small bowl,prepare filling. With spoon, blend cream cheese with milk until smooth. Gradually stir in 1/2 c confectioner's sugar, food color and 3 TB reserved candy mixture.

To Bake:
With hands, shape dough into 3/4" balls. With handle of wooden spoon, make a deep hole in the center of each ball of dough. Fill each hole with 1/4 tsp of filling; cover with little bit of dough to seal.
Bake @ 350 for 12 minutes or until set, but not brown. Remove and while cookies are still hot, roll in remaining candy mixture. Sprinkle any leftover mixture over cookies. Refrigerate until served. About 3 dozen