Italian Chocolate Balls Recipe 385

Steps:

• Cookies Mix together the dry ingredients. Cream butter or margarine with sugar and then add orange juice, vanilla and beaten eggs Slowly add dry ingredients until blended Add nuts and fruits to the batter Form dough into balls the size of walnuts and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes being careful to not over-bake Frosting Combine ingredients to make a loose frosting. When cookies have cooled, frost each cookie and let set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Stir orange zest into flour mixture. Mix vegetable shortening and margarine into dry ingredients, using your hands, until mixture is crumbly.
• Beat eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until foamy; add egg mixture, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup milk to flour mixture and knead dough in the bowl until thoroughly combined and dough doesn't stick to your hands, about 8 minutes. Dough will be stiff. Knead cream cheese thoroughly into dough, followed by walnuts.
• Form dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on racks.
• Beat 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon orange juice, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; gradually beat in remaining confectioners' sugar until frosting is thick and drizzles slowly from a spoon.
• Dip tops of cookies into frosting and place frosted cookies on racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let cookies dry overnight.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and cloves; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in walnuts., Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For glaze, in a large bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, corn syrup and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Dip tops of cookies into glaze; if desired, decorate with sprinkles. Let stand until set. Store between pieces of waxed paper in airtight containers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread almonds onto a baking sheet.
• Bake almonds until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool almonds slightly; chop.
• Sift flour 2 times. Mix cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together with flour in a bowl. Beat white sugar, shortening, and eggs together in a separate bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Mix creamed mixture into flour mixture. Add almonds, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract to flour mixture and mix well using your hands or a large spoon until dough holds together and is smooth. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven until bottoms are slightly brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Stir confectioners' sugar and almond extract together in a bowl; add enough water to make a thin frosting. Roll cookies in the frosting and place on a wire rack to dry.

Steps:

• For the cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add walnuts, and mix again.
• In a small saucepan, combine shortening and milk. Place over low heat until shortening melts. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and whisk to blend. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until well blended. While warm, roll dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake until surface is no longer shiny, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For icing and decorating: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix in enough milk to make icing just thick enough to coat the top of a cookie. Dip top of each cookie into icing, then into sprinkles, and set aside to dry. When cookies are completely dry, store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Set aside.
• 2. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add shortening and sugar, mix until combined.
• 3. Add chocolate syrup and beat until smooth.
• 4. Incorporate dry ingredients and stir just until combined. (Do not overmix).
• 5. Fold in pecans. Refrigerate dough for about an hour to reduce stickiness and make it easier to roll.
• 6. Roll into small balls (about 1 inch) and bake for 8 minutes. Do not overbake.
• 7. Once cookies are cool, mix glaze to desired consistency.
• 8. Dip tops in the glaze.
• 9. Allow icing to completely dry.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. FOR THE COOKIES: In large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
• 3. In another bowl, cream sugar and shortening with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Mix in chocolate syrup and vanilla.
• 4. Add chocolate mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until well incorporated. Mix in nuts.
• 5. Dough should form a ball, but not be sticky (if dough is too sticky, put a little flour on your hand to roll into a ball).
• 6. Roll mixture into 1 inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on parchment paper and bake about 12-15 minutes or until cookie is firm, but NOT DRY. Let cookies cool before frosting.
• 7. FOR THE FROSTING: Mix sugar, milk and extract to make a sugar glaze in a bowl. Dip the top of the cookies in the bowl and sit the cookies on a baking rack with wax paper underneath to catch any drippings. If you don't have one, then I'd just use wax paper. Immediately top the cookies with sprinkles before glaze dries.
• 8. Allow icing to harden overnight.