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Chocolate Butter Ball Cookies

Chocolate Butter Balls AKA Lump of Coal Cookies

Adapted from Tate's Bake Shop: Baking For Friends, Kathleen King
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cookies
Keyword chocolate, holiday, wedding cookies
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

For cookies:

  • 3 1/2 cups (440 g) AP flour
  • 1 cup (4.15 oz/115 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder, plus more below, sifted to remove lumps
  • 1 cup (3.5 oz/100 g) toasted and skinned hazelnuts, finely ground in processor (measure by volume after processing--I just used Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Meal)
  • 3/4 t fine sea salt
  • 1 lb (4 sticks/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted to remove lumps plus more below
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

For coating:

  • I used 50% Dutched processed cocoa powder and 50% confectioners' sugar. I just scooped out spoonfuls as I needed them--I am guessing about 3/4 cup of each

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, hazelnuts and salt. Set aside.

  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until combined and creamy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowls, and beat in the egg and vanilla. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions. When it is almost combined, add the mini chocolate chips and continue mixing until evenly combined. Do not over mix.

  3. Press wax paper or plastic wrap on top of the cookie dough and chill for at least 1 hour, until the dough is firm.

  4. Place the cooking racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

  5. Pinch off about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared sheets.These cookies will not spread, so you may place them 1 inch apart, about 20 cookies per sheet.
  6. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating top to bottom and front to back halfway through. The cookies will look dry when they are done--some may be beginning to crack a little. Remove from them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets.
  7. Whisk together Dutched cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar, starting with about 1/2 cup of each. Quickly roll each hot cookie in this mixture before placing it on a cooling rack. When you are done, roll each cookie again. Add more cocoa powder and powdered sugar if needed, keeping the ratio 1:1. Cool completely.