Tutus Aka Italian Chocolate Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE BALLS (TUTTU BALLS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread almonds onto a baking sheet.
• Bake almonds until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool almonds slightly; chop.
• Sift flour 2 times. Mix cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together with flour in a bowl. Beat white sugar, shortening, and eggs together in a separate bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Mix creamed mixture into flour mixture. Add almonds, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract to flour mixture and mix well using your hands or a large spoon until dough holds together and is smooth. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven until bottoms are slightly brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Stir confectioners' sugar and almond extract together in a bowl; add enough water to make a thin frosting. Roll cookies in the frosting and place on a wire rack to dry.

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the Chocolate Cookies, in a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. In another medium bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal or polenta, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine using a wooden spoon. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a 1-inch high round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Roll out the dough to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the dough. Bake on a heavy baking sheet for 15 minutes. Place the baking sheets on a wire rack to cool cookies.
• Meanwhile, to make the Orange Filling, combine the butter, powdered sugar, orange zest, and salt in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream the ingredients together.
• To assemble the cookie sandwiches, place about 1 teaspoon of the Orange Filling on a cookie. Top with another cookie and press the cookies together. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and cloves; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in walnuts., Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For glaze, in a large bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, corn syrup and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Dip tops of cookies into glaze; if desired, decorate with sprinkles. Let stand until set. Store between pieces of waxed paper in airtight containers.

CHOCOLATE ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add walnuts, and mix again.
• In a small saucepan, combine shortening and milk. Place over low heat until shortening melts. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and whisk to blend. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until well blended. While warm, roll dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake until surface is no longer shiny, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For icing and decorating: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix in enough milk to make icing just thick enough to coat the top of a cookie. Dip top of each cookie into icing, then into sprinkles, and set aside to dry. When cookies are completely dry, store in an airtight container.

ITALIAN FROSTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Stir orange zest into flour mixture. Mix vegetable shortening and margarine into dry ingredients, using your hands, until mixture is crumbly.
• Beat eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until foamy; add egg mixture, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup milk to flour mixture and knead dough in the bowl until thoroughly combined and dough doesn't stick to your hands, about 8 minutes. Dough will be stiff. Knead cream cheese thoroughly into dough, followed by walnuts.
• Form dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on racks.
• Beat 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon orange juice, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; gradually beat in remaining confectioners' sugar until frosting is thick and drizzles slowly from a spoon.
• Dip tops of cookies into frosting and place frosted cookies on racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let cookies dry overnight.

TATù -- SICILIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, almonds, and sugar and add cocoa powder to darken it. Form a well and add coffee, vanilla extract, butter and orange marmalade. Combine into a dough. Use the dough to form balls the size of a walnut. Put them on a greased cookie sheet and bake them at 375 F until golden. About 15 minutes.
• At this point make the veil: heat the chocolate and sugar over a very gentle flame, stirring constantly, and when the mixture is smooth and creamy remove it from the fire. Stir in the vanilla extract, let it cool slightly, and ice the cookies. Dust the cookies with just a hint of cinnamon and they're ready.

TUTU'S SUPER CRISPY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Mix the baking soda with the vanilla, then add to the butter mixture. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Gently stir in the Rice Krispies.
• Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Spoon 2-tablespoon-size mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the pans from the oven. Gently flatten the cookies with a spatula. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back and continue baking until the cookies are lightly cracked on the top and golden brown on the bottom, about 25 minutes longer. Let cool slightly, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

TUTU'S AKA ITALIAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and baking powder. Mix with hands. Add Crisco.
• Add eggs. Mix well.
• Add milk. Mix well.
• Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
• Make balls about half the size of a walnut.
• Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.
• Cool.
• Mix glaze. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk to a thin consistency. Dip cookies on glaze and allow to dry.
• Store in an air tight container or tin.
• *** NOTE: I have written the recipe exactly as given to me. Years ago I mixed these with my hands! Today I use my food processor to combine the dry ingredients with crisco. Using the pulse button I combine like I do for pie crust. I then place these ingredients in my large kitchen aid mixer bowl. I then mix on low speed until combined.