Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cookies

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pecans, ground
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt

Recipe

• 1 to make the cookies, in a large bowl, cream the butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. add the vanilla. in a separate bowl, stir together the flour, pecans, 1/2 cup ground chocolate, cinnamon, and salt. gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until well blended.
• 2 wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. preheat the oven to 325°f shape the dough into 1-inch balls. place the balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• 3 bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are firm to the touch.
• 4 cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack. cool completely.
• 5 to make the coating, sift the remaining confectioners' sugar (1 tablespoon) and 1/4 cup ground chocolate into a shallow bowl. once the cookies are cool, roll them in the coating. refrigerate airtight with waxed paper between layers up to 1 month.