The Christmas cooking begins

Do you give food gifts at Christmas? I always seem to end up making treats for at least a handful of friends or family, and over the weekend I got started on this year's treats. One of my favorite recipes is the one for these simple Orange Balls. It's easy, it makes a heap of them, and best of all they're delicious!

I found this recipe tucked inside an old cookbook that had belonged to my grandmother, who had apparently cut the recipe out of the old Georgia Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin.

These refrigerated, bite-sized treats get texture from vanilla wafer crumbs and pecans. The citrus flavor from the frozen orange juice is a nice switch from the heavier sweets you often find at Christmas. And if you don't need to make these as Christmas treats, you might want to try them on a tea tray sometime.

Market Bulletin Orange Balls

1 (16-ounce) box + 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice (DO NOT THAW)
1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers, crushed in food processor
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine box of powdered sugar, butter, orange juice, vanilla wafers and pecans. Mixture will be very stiff. Roll into balls about the size of a large gumball and roll in reserved powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator. Yields about 5 dozen Orange Balls.