Chocolate Wedding Cookies

Wedding cookies, usually made with pecans, are one of my favorites that you see around the holidays. I have made a couple of variations with different holiday flavors, but there are so many more flavors to explore. Tim’s sister Maria and I are both big baking fans and we have gotten together to bake things, and we sometimes send recipes to each other. She is the one who discovered this chocolate version, and I knew they would be good!

These “Mexican” wedding cookies are so called because of the combination of chocolate and cinnamon. These call for so little cinnamon that you can’t really taste it, so I would think you are safe calling them chocolate cookies. The original cookies called for chopped pecans, but I followed Maria’s advice and made them all chocolate, adding mini chocolate chips to the dough.

These cookies are quick to assemble, but you do need to make sure that the dough comes together completely and there are no dry areas. If there is dryness, it will be impossible to shape them into balls. This recipe made about 30 cookies, which I was able to bake in two batches. Since they don’t spread, you don’t have to worry so much about spacing. Yes, powdered sugar-coated cookies are always messy, but you are rewarded with a super chocolatey cookies, lovely with chunks of mini chips!

Chocolate Wedding Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Additional powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until the ingredients are creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until a dough forms with no dry patches. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into 1-1/4” balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. As these cookies don’t rise or spread, there is no need for extra space between the cookies.

Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are set. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes, and then roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar, coating the cookies evenly.

Recipe from Marie Saba