Italian Christmas Spice Cookies

Submitted by Dedee Royale

"While growing up in Boston, every Christmas my Neopolitan auntie would make a delicious chocolate round cookie spiced with cloves. She called them "Todors" (phonetic spelling). It's been 50 years since I've had them as no bakery seems to make them. Finally, after much research, I was able to locate a recipe that sounded just like the real thing. I tweaked the recipe a bit till I got the taste that I remembered. Warning: You can't each just one."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 21
• Yields: 50-55 cookies

ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 3⁄4 cup canola oil or 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup almonds, chopped plus sliced for garnish
• 1⁄2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Chocolate Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 3 -4 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar (to garnish)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
4. In a large separate bowl mix together eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in small batches and mix until combined.
6. Add chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Dough will be very stiff.
7. With lightly oiled hands, continue to mix the dough till all ingredients are incorporated. Wash hands thoroughly.
8. 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.
9. Arrange on prepared baking sheet 2" apart and bake for 10 minutes.
10. Once cooled, dip the top of each cookie into the chocolate glaze. While still wet garnish tops with a few sliced almonds.
11. When set, re-dip the bottom of each cookie back into the chocolate glaze and let set again.
12. While still slightly wet, generously dust or roll each cookie into 1 cup powdered sugar.
13. Set aside to dry before stacking.
14. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.