A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery, Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #4 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series)
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Chocolate Mexican [Italian/Russian] Wedding Cookies
Makes 2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 c cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 c milk chocolate, grated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pecan pieces (or another nut of your choice)
½ c powdered sugar, to coat the cookies
¼ c cocoa powder to coat the cookies
PREPARATION
1. Grind pecan pieces until fine ground coffee. Mix with chocolate, flour, pepper, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, or in a food processor or mixer, blend sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract.
3. Gradually add dry mixture to wet.
4. Scrape dough into a bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate 3 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Scoop dough with tablespoon and form 1-inch balls by rolling dough between palms (lightly flour hands, if necessary). Place balls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 15 minutes or until the cookies barely begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes. Use small spatula to lift cookies from sheets. Mix ½ c. powdered sugar & ¼ c. cocoa powder. While they’re still warm, roll the cookies in the mixture.
Georgie’s Tips:
A version of this recipe has been baked and claimed by many different cultures. Russian Tea Cake recipes are similar, as are recipes for Italian Wedding Cookies. They really have shown up at weddings for centuries in various places around the world.
Most of the time, recipes for wedding cookies don’t include chocolate, but you know me. For a great version of the classic cookies check out the New York Times site @ http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1726-mexican-wedding-cookies.
Adding a bit of cayenne pepper, or another chili spice, somehow makes the chocolate flavor pop! There’s something Christmassy about these cookies, as well—maybe it’s the cinnamon.
Easy to make and delicious, they are wonderful gifts when slipped into a beautiful basket or cookie tin. If you have friends who also love coffee, a batch of these cookies with a bag of coffee should hit the “sweet” spot!
About the Author
Anna Celeste Burke is an award-winning and bestselling author who enjoys snooping into life's mysteries with fun, fiction, & food—California style! Her books include the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series set in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set on California’s Central Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in Orange County, California--the OC. Coming soon: The Misadventures of Betsy Stark that take place in the Coachella Valley. Find out more and stay in the loop by joining her at http://www.desertcitiesmystery.com.