Italian Meatball Cookies

There's no meat in these Italian meatball cookies! It's an affectionate name for little round cookies made from butter and cocoa powder.

Filled with chopped nuts and fragrant spices - cloves, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg - they scent the kitchen with the happy aroma of the holidays.

The baked cookies are finished with a cocoa and confectioners' sugar glaze - just the right amount of chocolate to go with coffee or on a festive platter.

They freeze well, so do yourself a favor and make a batch or two ahead of time, ready to pull out at a moments notice.

Italian Meatball Cookies Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat the cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour and 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, then add the baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk all the ingredients until they are well blended.

Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, until well incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.

Pour the flour mixture into the beaten butter and sugar. Stir until the two mixtures are well blended, then stir in the chopped walnuts.

Roll the cookie dough into balls about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Place each one on a prepared cookie sheet and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. Let them rest on the cookie sheets while you make the glaze.

Combine the confectioners' sugar with the 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk in the milk until the mixture is a glaze consistency.

Put the baked cookies in a very large mixing bowl and drizzle in the glaze, shaking the bowl and whirling the cookies as the glaze is poured in.

Each cookie should have glaze on it, but it isn't necessary to completely cover them with the icing.

Let the cookies cool on waxed paper, then store them between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container.

Good To Know - A couple drops of red food coloring will bring a little shine to the cocoa in the icing.

Food For Thought - This recipe is easily doubled, and as noted above, they freeze well. Try freezing a batch without the cocoa icing.

Let them come to room temperature or warmer, then follow the glazing procedure described above.

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