Chocolate Balls (cookie) Recipe
These Chocolate Ball Cookies are a Christmas staple in our Italian household! My family and I make them every year a few weeks before Christmas.
Servings: 6 dozen
Equipment
- oven
- cookie sheets
- hand mixer
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopping walnuts
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 cup flour
- 1.25 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp (heaping) cocoa powder
- .5 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp baking soda
- .5 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- .25 tsp cloves
- dash salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
THE ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk of choice
Instructions
- Mix all of your dry ingredients in one large mixing bowl. (flour, cocoa, spices, baking soda).
- In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high. Add milk, and incorporate.
- In batches, add dry mix to butter, alternating with eggs, beating on low until just incorporated. At some point, you will need to shut off the mixer and use your hands to complete the mixing.
- Lastly, add raisins, nuts and chocolate chips. Fold into dough to evenly distribute. Preheat oven to 375F.
- Begin rolling into small balls, about the circumference of a quarter. (Remember: they will almost double in size in the oven!) Place on greased cookie sheet, about an inch or more apart. Bake 10 minutes.
- When done, pull out and let cool on a separate tray. Make the icing by beating a little milk into powdered sugar until smooth, but not too runny.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, dip the tops into the bowl of icing, wiping off the excess, and place back down to set. Enjoy!
Notes
In the past, we have tried using a KitchenAid standmixer. It ends up working too much air into the dough, and changes the texture. We do not prefer it. Hand mixer and hands work best with these old school cookies!
(Originally, the recipe was written for margarine (it's that old!)...but we have been making it with butter for years.)
Number of cookies depends on how big you end up rolling them. It can be REALLY easy to go a little too big :)