Holiday Snowball Cookie Recipe- Chocolate & Nut

If you know me, you know I like food- a lot. Growing food, cooking food and baking treats are a big part of my life. Tonight I whipped up some of my favorite holiday cookies before heading off to my Santa Monica Conservancy meeting. The cookies were such a hit that the other ladies in the group made me promise to share the recipe—well here it is!



Holiday Cookie Snowballs Ingredients List



Chocolate


½ cup organic unbleached all purpose flour


¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder


½ teaspoon baking powder


½ cup evaporated cane juice or granulated white sugar


2 tablespoons butter


1 egg


1 tablespoon orange juice

Nut


1 ½ cups of the nuts of your choice. I just use whatever I have on hand – almonds, walnuts or pecans usually.


½ cup evaporated cane juice or granulated white sugar


1 ½ tablespoons of ground cinnamon


2 egg whites


Additionally


Powdered sugar (for coating)


Parchment paper



Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350


2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper


3. Start by making the chocolate dough. In your electric mixing bowl, beat egg


4. Then on “stir” or lowest possible setting, add orange juice, then baking powder, then diced butter


5. Quickly add flour and cocoa and stop mixing as soon as it is just mixed, crumbly texture is okay.


6. Roll into a ball and cover tightly with plastic. Chill for min 30 minutes.


7. This is where I wash my mixing bowl and paddle and then start the nut dough while the chocolate is chilling.

8. In a large plastic bag smash/pound your nuts with the flat side of a meat cleaver or rolling pin. Most textures will work; I usually go for approaching powdery.


9. In your mixer beat the egg whites until approaching stiffness and then add cinnamon, reduce speed to minimum


10. Add the sugar followed quickly by the almonds until just mixed


11. Roll into balls and toss set on to parchment baking sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely *Later you will roll these in a bowl of powdered sugar.


12. Once the nut balls are out, Raise the heat of the oven to 400


13. Roll the chocolate dough into balls and thickly coat with powdered sugar by rolling in your prepared bowl.


14. Place the sugared balls on your parchment paper cookie sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes.


15. Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.


*So the trick is to sugar the chocolate balls before they bake and the nut balls after they cool. 

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Sarah Barnard is a Los Angeles based interior designer and LEED AP who specializes in green design, historic preservation and healthy living. Some of her recent projects include National Geographic Entertainment, the new headquarters of Life Rolls On, a subsidiary of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Teen Choice Awards and countless private residences. For more information about Sarah and her practice visit www.sarahbarnard.com