cocoa wedding cookies...day 1

12 days of Christmas cookies!

As it turns out, and also comes as no big surprise, I am obsessed with all things Christmas! I started decorating the day after Halloween putting up six trees, a village with a life of it's own & displaying Christmas object I have been collecting my entire life (I should have stopped years ago), but still I can't resist.

Is it a bad thing to be known among your friends & family as the cookie lady. Maybe not, but there is a lot of pressure! Years ago I started giving away tins of Christmas cookies as gifts for family, friends & sent some with the hubs to his offices. The tins travel to California, Washington, Nevada, Michigan & Toronto.

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Well, after a few years people started expecting them & even putting in requests, like... we need more of those little white ones & don't forget the Bourbon balls, & last year we didn't have enough of those peanut butter ones with the chocolate!

Last year I made 21 different kinds of cookies, not to mention the marzipan snowmen, peppermint bark & the nut brittle. Okay, maybe I'm a little obsessed & things have gotten out of hand. So, I was thinking that this year I would cut back & maybe only make 12 different kinds of cookies (& of course the marzipan snowmen, peppermint bark & nut brittle).


The recipe for day 1 is for cocoa wedding cookies. These decadent little balls have two different kinds of chocolate & are gently rolled in confectioner's sugar. How can that be bad?

cocoa wedding cookies

1 cup pecans
1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325*.
In your food processor, pulse the pecans with 1/2 cup of the confectioner's sugar until the pecans are finely ground. Add the butter & vanilla & process until smooth, occasionally stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour & cocoa & pulse until evenly mixed. Add the mini chocolate chips & pulse just until combined.
With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 1 inch balls (about 1 rounded teaspoon full). Place balls about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake cookies for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until bottoms have lightly browned. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Dump remaining 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar onto waxed paper or in a bowl. While the cookies are still warm, roll them in the confectioner's sugar to coat, then return to wire rack to cool completely. When cookies are cool, gently roll them in the confectioner's sugar again.

Makes about 100 cookies.