Christmas cookie baking starts Thanksgiving weekend for one food editor. Together with her mother, she makes family favorites like the buttery balls below.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 95 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add the vanilla, the espresso powder, the cocoa powder, and the salt, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Add the flour, beat the dough until it is just combined, and beat in the pecans. Chill the dough, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange the balls about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are just firm, and let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheets. Toss the warm cookies in batches in a bowl of the confectioners' sugar to coat them well. The cookies maybe made 2 months in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers.
