Holiday Baking: Espresso Chocolate Snowballs

While I don't celebrate Christmas and never have, I have always loved Christmas traditions and that general festive/cosy atmosphere that rolls around every December.  Although my family is Jewish, my mother also loved Christmas traditions and they were a big part of this season growing up - we got presents from Santa (I know bad, it wasn't a religious thing but for my Mom just another opportunity to spoil us, which she never passed up), I even left cookies for him, she played holiday music, and once I remember she tried to cook a goose.  That was not a success, though I should probably try again sometime.  Anyway, even though Christmas is not my holiday so to speak, I still do love all the Christmas traditions I assume all of you who celebrate the holiday partake in, especially, given my love of food, the baking!  Every year I plan on baking loads and loads of cookies, but most years I only make a few.  This year may be the same, but I figured for the blog I would endeavor to share some holiday baking recipes with you.  My plan will be to pick a cookie from each of the December issues of the leading cooking magazines, like this espresso chocolate snowball from Food & Wine. Maybe I will achieve that, maybe I will make different cookies, maybe I will try a Buche de Noel, which I have always wanted to try, maybe I will only make these cookies - who knows whether I will have the time do so much baking in the next few weeks, but I will try!

Espresso Chocolate Snowballs (December 2011 Food & Wine Magazine)
(printable recipe) 
There are certain predictable categories of Christmas cookies - the cut outs with decorations, the ones that employ jam, the ones with little bits of candy cane in them, the northern European heavy spice cookie type, and the ones coated in powdered sugar.  This seemed like a slightly different version of that powdered sugar ball cookie, with a nice coffee bite to it.  These came together very easily, required no equipment and tasted better, in my opinion, the day after they were made.
 Ingredients
2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 cup or so of confectioners' sugar to coat

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix the butter, vanilla and sugar until "creamed." I usually do this in a mixer but by hand it came together well with vigorous effort.  Since you are making cookies, you might as well get an arm workout in, right?
2. Add the flour, cocoa, espresso powder and salt and stir until combined.
3. Stir in the pecans.
4. Cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 325.  
6. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or thoroughly grease the baking sheets.  
7. Take a tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into circles.  Put an inch or two apart on baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes - the cookies should look dry and be firm to the touch.
9. Let cool for ten minutes in pans, then remove to rack and let cool completely.
10. Roll in the powdered sugar.