Italian Spiced Chocolate Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Sift 3 cups flour twice. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, white sugar and cocoa. Cream 1 cup butter or margarine; blend into flour mixture. Add 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and nuts. Mix thoroughly with hands until well blended. (Dough should be the consistency of pie crust, but not sticky.)
• For each cookie, pinch off about 1 teaspoon dough. Roll by hands into balls, each about one-inch in diameter. Place on greased baking sheets. Do not flatten. Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets; cool on racks. When cool, drizzle each generously with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles if desired.
• To make Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate squares over low heat. Cream with 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar. Gradually add hot milk, beating until smooth.

ITALIAN SPICED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the oven rack in the lower third position in the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with vegetable oil cooking spray. In a large bowl combine, flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, pepper, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Add butter and, using your fingers or a pastry dough blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add 1/2 cup of milk and the nuts and mix until the dough is well blended. If mixture seems too dry, add more milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. If thinner, less chewy cookie is desired, flatten balls slightly. Bake cookies until firm, about 15 to 17 minutes. Place baked cookies on wire racks to cool. Store in a sealed container.

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
• In a large separate bowl mix together eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture to wet mixture in small batches and mix until combined.
• Add chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Dough will be very stiff.
• With lightly oiled hands, continue to mix the dough till all ingredients are incorporated. Wash hands thoroughly.
• Lightly oil your hands again so the dough won't stick to them and break off pieces of dough, rolling them with your palms into balls the size of walnuts.
• Arrange on prepared baking sheet 2" apart and bake for 10 minutes.
• Once cooled, dip the top of each cookie into the chocolate glaze. While still wet garnish tops with a few sliced almonds.
• When set, re-dip the bottom of each cookie back into the chocolate glaze and let set again.
• While still slightly wet, generously dust or roll each cookie into 1 cup powdered sugar.
• Set aside to dry before stacking.
• Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.