SNOWBALL HOSTESS RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, pecans, and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown: it's better to undercook them than to overcook them. While cookies are still hot, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them in confectioners' sugar once more.

Steps:

• Prepare the Cakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray; dust with flour. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes; gradually add sugar, beating well. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until combined; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts.
• Beat egg whites with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes; fold into batter.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare the Frosting: Stir together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and cream of tartar in top of a large double boiler; add cold water, and beat with a hand mixer on low speed until just blended, about 1 minute. Place over boiling water; cook, beating constantly on high speed, until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; beat in vanilla.
• Cut cooled cake into 2-inch rounds using biscuit cutter. Spread top and sides of small Cakes with Frosting. Sprinkle Cakes evenly with coconut.