Linda Condolora's Italian Chocolate Cookies

Post date: Nov 27, 2008 12:21:07 AM

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup shortening (Crisco is preferable)

3 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa (Hershey's is preferable)

1 cup milk

Cream sugar, egg and shortening then add dry ingredients alternately with milk. This makes a pretty stiff dough, so if you have a dough hook you might want to use it. Grease your cookie sheets or use non-stick cookie sheets. Roll dough into balls, not too big, and place on cookie sheet. (Hint: fill a bowl with some cold water and wet your hands a little bit before rolling the balls. Rewet your hands every 3 or 4 balls. If you don't do this, the dough will really stick to your hands.)

Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 13 minutes. They are done when you see some open cracks on the surface of the little balls.

Let them cool. For frosting, combine about 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa, 1 tsp. vanilla and some water. Be sure to add the water just a little at a time so that you don't add too much. Stir by hand until it makes a smooth frosting. The frosting should be thinner than a cake frosting, but not so thin that it just runs off the cookie when you frost it. I frost each cookie by hand, not using any utensils. Let the cookies dry. If you are not going to serve them right away, put them in a tupperware container and put them in the freeze. (Personally, I love them right out of the freezer. Yum!)

Just a warning- as far as the frosting goes, I am guessing at the measurement of the confectioner's sugar. I just eyeball it, so you might need to add a little more sugar. The color should be a deep brown and it should have a shine to it.