Winter Snowballs

It's official, winter is here.



As if last week's snow and the constant cold, windy weather conditions didn't make that clear enough.  But, now it's officially official because the calendar says so.  Now it's officially okay to have sub-freezing temperatures at night, black ice on the streets in our subdivision, barren trees and dry, dry, dry skin.  Ah, the magic of winter.   Gee, how many times can I use the word 'official' in one blog post?

Actually,  I don't mind winter, just so long as I'm indoors.

In the spirit of welcoming Old Man Winter and the frigid, moisture sucking air he brings, I made snowballs.

No, not this kind

 (source)


and definitely not this kind

(source) 

With no offense intended to the Hostess company (I do love Twinkies),  those Snoballs make me want to gag.

Nope, I didn't make balls of real snow; I didn't make marshmallowy, cakey, pink coconutty, gag worthy balls of Sno, either. 

I made coconut macaroons. 

I know they're not called snowballs, but I think think the name suits them.  Especially if you like your snowballs with toasted tops and chocolate bottoms.




Coconut is a controversial ingredient.  Not controversial in a social sense, like abortion, gay marriage and amnesty, but controversial in the sense that people either love it or hate it.   I'm not sure there is any gray area where coconut is concerned. 

Yea or nay; never maybe.

I happen to like coconut; so do Craig and Caroline.





A family who eats coconut together, stays together.

 

Confession:  I ate all of Caroline's Almond Joy candy bars from her Halloween stash.

I prefer Mounds, because I like dark chocolate (it has antioxidants, after all), but I definitely showed Almond Joy some love this year.





I'm all about equal opportunity.





Sweet and chewy with a contrasting crunchy chocolate base.  A hint of almond and a nutty, toasty peak.

Whether you love or hate coconut, you have to admit that these macaroons are quite photogenic.


Hello winter! 

My macaroons and I welcome you.  But please note that while I am greeting you with all the cheerfulness and good spirit I can possibly muster, I'd like for you to promise that you will not bring any snow on the following dates:  December 23rd-24th and January 7th or 11th.   I have plans on those days, plans which could be greatly altered if snow were to fall. 

Caroline, my budding meteorologist and Weather Channel enthusiast, informs me that there is potential for a white Christmas.  This might surprise you, given my general distaste for snow, but I'm actually okay with this prospect.  I've never had a white Christmas.  Well, I may have when I was a little thing and living in Maine, but from ages 3-26 I lived in either California, Florida, Hawaii or Arizona where a white Christmas would have been a miracle.  After a short stint in Maryland, where no snow fell on Christmas followed by three years in Georgia and two snow-less holidays here, it's finally a possibility. 

Thoughts on coconut?  Yes, please? or Oh, heck no?