With all the goodness of chocolate and the warmth of classic winter spices, these Italian Chocolate Spice Ball Cookies are sure to be a new holiday favorite! Another recipe rooted in family tradition, these are another one of my ultimate favorite recipes. The cookie is soft, with a crunch of walnut, and not overly sweet; the icing coating the tops adds a hit of sweetness that helps completely round out the cookie into a holiday must-have that is simply impossible to resist.
With Christmas quickly coming along, I’ve finally put up the final two Christmas trees (yes, there are trees in multiple rooms–one has been with me since college and the other since I lived in New York), and have been trying to sort out my holiday baking plans. If you listened to my friend Ade’s podcast–Five Tree Christmas–you might have heard me discuss holiday baking and the fact that I don’t actually make cookies for my family’s celebration because my mom and my aunts already have the cookie front covered. Of the few staples my mother makes yearly, these Italian Chocolate Spice Ball Cookies have always been my favorite.
Full of chocolate flavor enhanced by the lukewarm coffee mixed into the dough, the spice of the cloves and the sweetness of the icing play off one another so well that you’l never want to stop eating these (these cookies are the only ones I’ll ever sneak before they can even get placed on the tray–they’re also the only cookie I’ll go reaching into the freezer for). I’ve eaten plenty of these slightly warmed in the microwave with a still frozen center, and you know what, they’re still incredible!
I was always intimidated by this recipe. I would always go to bed before my mom decided to tackle them. She’d always save them for last because they “took forever.” It turns out, it wasn’t the actual dough that took forever to make, it was just that the rolling took a bit of time. This recipe is actually half of what the original recipe my aunt passed on to her calls for, which means she usually spent hours rolling 90-100 walnut-sized balls of dough. To my happy surprise, they actually don’t take long at all! The dough was easy to mix into a stiff but soft dough and it didn’t take much longer than the 8-10 minutes these cookies need to bake to roll out the next tray.
Some families are all about gingerbread at the holidays, but this is our version of a cookie filled with all those happy, warming winter spices. Add a little bit of red and green sprinkle on top of the icing while still wet, and you’re ready for the holidays!
| Prep Time | 15-20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8-10 minutes |
| Servings |
cookies
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- 1/2 lb powdered sugar sifted (2 cups, sifted then measured)
- 2 Tbsp milk warm
- 1 pat butter
Ingredients
Icing
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- Fit an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 400°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high. Add in the egg and extracts and mix until fully combined. Slowly add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add 1/2 of the strong brewed coffee. Mix until the coffee is fully incorporated with the dough. Add in the second 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat until all of the flour and coffee has been added. Mix on low until the dough just comes together. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Using clean hands, shape the dough into balls about the size of a walnut--approximately 1 Tbsp or 25 grams if weighing. Line up your balls of dough on the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to overbake! Transfer the cookies immediately from the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool fully. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Once cooled, make the icing: in a microwave safe cup or glass, warm the milk with a small pat of butter (added for shine). Add the milk and butter mix to a medium to large bowl with the sited powdered sugar. Whisk until a thick but droppable icing is formed. Add any additional milk if needed but not too much because you want the icing to sit on top of the cookie in a thick layer. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing. Sprinkle if desired.
*These cookies freeze well in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Just allow to defrost before serving.