12 Days of Christmas Cookies – Chocolate Bon-Bon Drops

If for some reason you didn’t like the mostaccioli, these delicious chocolate cookies may be more up your ally.

There are a number of things I like about them.  One, they have icing, which makes everything better.  Two, they are small, so they are perfect for gift giving or for feeling better about yourself when you eat three or four (or five or six).  And, three, they have an interesting texture, almost like a shortbread. 

You can also do a number of toppers.  The original recipe tops them with a chocolate ball or maraschino cherry halves, but I also think that festive holiday sprinkles, a chocolate-covered espresso bean, or even leaving them plain is just as pretty and tasty.  I topped them with the cherries last year, but I forgot to buy some this year, so this year I topped them with sprinkles, chocolate chips, and M&Ms.

Chocolate Bon-Bon Drops – adapted from King Arthur Flour

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) of butter, softened

¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa

1 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons vanilla

1½ cups all-purpose flour  

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

¼ cup heavy cream*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Various toppers, as desired

Place cookie ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric or stand mixer on medium speed until a soft, smooth dough is formed.  The dough should be in one big lump and shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.  Remove from the bowl, wrap well in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil.  Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a gumball.  You can also use a tablespoon cookie scoop to drop the cookies on the pan, no rolling necessary.  Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Make the icing: combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.  The glaze should be rather thick.  Spread the icing onto almost-cool cookies and top with desired toppings.  Alternately, put the icing into a plastic bag (or pastry bag), snip off a small corner, and pipe onto the cookies.  This isn’t necessary, but it does create a pretty cookie.  Top with desired toppings.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

*You can also use half-and-half or whole milk to make the icing, but it will be much thinner and more like a glaze than an icing.  I would also cut the liquid down to about 2-3 tablespoons as opposed to ¼ cup.