Secret Recipe Revealed

Ah, Christmas time is the season of blustery cold winds and bustling elves in the kitchen at the Glover house. This weekend we made Oreo Truffles, Praline Pecans, Mini Eggnog Muffins and loaves, Spicy Pecans, and *drum roll* my favorite cookie recipe: Chocolate Sambuca Cookies.

Oh let the yumminess begin.

Early morning Christmas Baking Elf

Darling Teen had a function to attend on Saturday so we got up early to work on the truffles. We had many truffles to make because she gives them away to her friends. The list grows yearly. I may have to take orders next year. We made over 100 truffles. In addition to the truffles, I made Praline Pecans and Spicy Pecans as well as the batter for the Chocolate Sambuca Cookies. The batter is runny and has to set up overnight before you can make the cookies.

The cute mini loaf pan. It has Christmas Imprints in it.

On Sunday morning Darling Teen and I had to buy new pants for Church choir and so off to Kohls we went despite the biting cold winds and unusually freezing temperature. Frankly, if this is what global warming feels like, I'm not impressed. Brrr! We found the dreaded khakis (who looks good in these pants? No one but the dudes in the advertisements), a few more presents for her Dad, and then we hurried home. DT had more musical stuff to head to in the afternoon, Darling Husband had football to watch, and I had cookies and muffins to bake. As you can see there is quite a lot to do when one is making the mini eggnog loaves. I love my new mixing bowls from my DT and DH which are brightly colored and they don't slip on the counter when you mix the batter. And they seem to do well in the dishwasher, too. Whew. Cause I don't relish washing them by hand. 

 The imprints are super cute. There are candy canes, trees, a santa, and bells. I'll sprinkle these with powdered sugar then wrap them in cellophane before I give them away.

I had a lot of cute mini cupcake papers with Christmas themes on them so I thought I'd use them to make mini muffins.

The chocolate sambuca batter is ready to be rolled into balls.

After I made the Mini Eggnog Loaves, I used my Pampered Chef small scoop to fill the paper cups and bake the mini muffins. They are adorable! I will give them away and serve them at a gathering I'm hosting on Wednesday evening. Oh, the mini muffins do look great. And they taste even better. Yes, sampling does occur in the Glover house because we must do quality control checks. I'm considering trying out an experimental icing recipe which might incorporate the nutmeg as part of the recipe. I think topping a few with icing will be nice for the gathering. And for those of you who already have the recipe, I cooked these for 20-25 minutes which is less time than the loaves. After I cooked the mini loaves, I prepped my work station for the final recipe. 

Flour for the hands and the sugar mix ready to dip the balls into for the cookies.

The balls of cookie dough are ready to bake at 350 degrees.

Sheer Yumminess is all I can say.

After a wee break, and a bit of wine, I began making the Chocolate Sambuca Cookies. Now these aren't clean cookies. These cookies require getting your hands good and dirty in batter, flour and a concoction of icing sugar mixed with regular sugar. Not for the faint of heart. But there is something about me that enjoys the whole process--like making really yummy mud pies that we can eat afterward.

After a wee break, and a bit of wine, I began making the Chocolate Sambuca Cookies. Now these aren't clean cookies. These cookies require getting your hands good and dirty in batter, flour and a concoction of icing sugar mixed with regular sugar. Not for the faint of heart. But there is something about me that enjoys the whole process--like making really yummy mud pies that we can eat afterward. 

And now, without further ado, here is the recipe.

Just kidding. I can barely read the words myself. So here is the recipe, which I have hoarded for years, for all of my blog friends to try. 

Chocolate Sambuca Cookies 

(original recipe given to me by Lori)

12 oz. dark chocolate (I use Hersheys)

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup of Sambuca

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar, divided

1/3 cup icing sugar

1 cup finely ground blanched almonds

2/3 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Melt chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sambuca, 1/2 cup sugar. Add chocolate slowly and continue whisking till incorporated. Mix in almonds, flour and baking soda till well blended. The batter will be runny. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix icing sugar and regular sugar together. 

With floured hands, take one tablespoon batter and roll into a balls. Coat balls in sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cook for 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute, then remove from sheet with a metal spatula. Cool on rack.

I dare you to get your hands dirty and try this recipe. It's worth the work and the effort. Ask the elves. They know.