The Chocolate Italian Meatball Cookie is a quintessential Christmas cookie!
The meatball cookie is ‘the cookie’ that harks back to Christmases of yesteryear.
For us, the meatball cookie was to Christmas what turkey is to Thanksgiving and colored eggs are to Easter.
Mema, my maternal gram, was a wizardess in her teeny-tiny galley kitchen everyday, but even more so at the holidays. Memories of her chocolate meatball cookies, her vanilla meatball cookies, her ‘pink’ sweets, her bon-bons…ahhhh – these are the cookies that come first to mind when I reminisce about the holidays of long ago…
So when I was invited to participate in the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange with a bunch of blogger friends, it didn’t take me long to figure out that this was the cookie I needed to share.
Here’s the thing….not only are they delicious, they’re addicting!
Even when we thought we couldn’t eat one more bite, there was a Christmas <—- (a Christmas, I say it as if it happened only once…) that my sister and I literally ate an entire plate or, I don’t know, maybe it was a platter (ahem), a small platter, of Mema’s pink and white meatball cookies. We must have been pre-teen-ish, and thought we could resist the temptation, especially after a meal of pasta and meatballs and cutlets…you get the picture…however the universe had a different plan for us.
Was our need for our Mema’s cookies satiated? You bet! Did we have any regrets? Gosh no. I still remember looking across the table at my sister, crumbs falling from our faces, with shared expressions of disbelief mixed with utter joy…
Now you might be thinking, “Did these two eat all the cookies?” Of course not – they were made by an Italian grandma…there were plenty more where they came from!
Now here’s the thing about this recipe…I’ve added no clove. I know, I know. If you’re a fan of the clove flavor in the traditional cookie – by all means, add it. However, I love the quiet, just enough spice that using cinnamon, nutmeg and Allspice offers. It’s enough and it’s spectacular. I also used shortening versus butter to give it more of the lift that you want in a meatball cookie. These meatball cookies puff up perfectly and maintain a tender crumb all the way through to the last bite.
And the chocolate? Oh yeah, it’s in there. In the form of cocoa and wait for it………….chocolate chips!
I hope you’ll check out the selection of fabulous holiday cookies included in the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange by following the hashtag #sweetestseasoncookies on social media! There’s something for everyone…
Drop cookies, hand-formed cookies, bar cookies, brownies, sandwich cookies, cutouts, shaped cookies, no-bake cookies… See what I’m saying?
Buon Appetito!
Print
Chocolate Italian Meatball Cookies
- Category: Dessert
Description
The Chocolate Italian Meatball Cookie is quintessential Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups butter flavored shortening
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 5 cups All-Purpose flour
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp Allspice
- 3/4 cup Hershey cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Holiday colored sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large mixing bowl cream sugar and shortening.
- Add eggs one at a time, slowly mixing after each addition.
- Add milk and vanilla and mix again.
- Add dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Add nuts and chocolate chips and mix.
- Roll the dough into meatball sized balls (or use a small ice cream scoop).
- Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. 12 per sheet.
- Bake for 13 – 15 minutes.
- Cool on racks.
- In the meantime prepare glaze.
- In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.
- When cookies are cool, dunk in glaze and place them back on racks.
- Sprinkle with colored sprinkles and let dry.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Cooking with Nonna
CIAO!
Recipes like this that have so many memories are always the best. And I can definitely see eating a whole plate of these. Yum! They look so good!
Thanks, Amanda! Once we ate a couple there was no turning back! hahah! 🙂
I’ve never heard of a meatball cookie but I’m loving it so far! I make a big Christmas cookie platter each year and this cookie needs to have a spot saved for it. Cookies with chocolate and walnuts are my fav so can’t wait to make these.
I’m with you – I love the combination of chocolate and walnuts!! Thanks, dear! Enjoy!
Grandma’s cookies are the best! These look delicious and very festive! Never had meatball cookies and will have to try them.
They are the best! Thank you, friend!!
What a brilliant little cookie! I totally want to try one now, as I’ve never heard of a meatball cookie before. (FOR SHAME, I know! But my family isn’t Italian… but now I kinda wish we were so I would already know about these beauties!)
Well done! Definitely gonna share some of these with Santa this year. Thanks for baking up such a delicious recipe for The Sweetest Season!
Thank you so much, Erin! So happy to be a part of the #sweetestseasoncookies ! 🙂
I have never heard of a meatball cookie and am so glad you shared these! They look absolutely scrumptious!! Take care. ?
Thanks, Stacey! The recipe makes a ton…we’re still enjoying! 🙂
Oh my gosh, Annie! Those are the cutest cookies ever! I’ve never heard of Italian Meatball Cookies, but I can certainly understand why you and your sister tried to eat them all!
See? You understand! 😉 Thanks, friend!! 🙂
I always love being introduced to something new (to me, anyway). Great flavor combination and I would add the cloves since I so love it in the Sicilian Tetu cookies. Thanks for sharing.
So happy you like it, Deb! Enjoy!!
I have never heard of a meatball cookie but I can see where it got its name. It looks so delicious with all the chocolate and spices. Loving the icing too.
I’m a fanatic for anything called meatball! These are no exception! Thanks, dear!
These meatball cookies are adorable and delicious, Annie! And they’re the recipe of an Italian grandma, so what’s not to love? I had never heard of them but I’m happy I’ve discovered them now! That cute hump, oh my!
I guess because this cookie is so popular in our family I thought it was pretty popular everywhere! I see that I was wrong! ahahha! But they are so yummy, none the less! Thanks, Nicoletta! 🙂
Annie these look stunning! First when I read the name I got confused thinking are these cookies made with meatballs hehe?! Silly me!! These look so good, never tried these so totally want to give these a try!!
Thank you, Ami!! Enjoy! 🙂
I had to reread that recipe name twice and thought that it’s exactly how they look after scooping. I never have heard of the name for these before either. These look so soft and festive. Plus any cookie with a glaze has my attention. Thanks Annie!
It’s really all about the glaze! 😉 They’re simple to make and easy to eat (too many!)! Thank you, my friend! 🙂
I’ve never heard of a meatball cookie before but these look absolutely scrumptious, Annie! Love the pretty glaze + sprinkles – these are so perfect for the holidays!
This is a longtime favorite! Thank you, Rachel!!
Meatball cookies??? I thought they were going to have meat in them – lol! They look delicious and so festive, Annie – perfect for the holidays!
Hahaha! Just another Christmas surprise! 😉 Thanks, Geraldine!!
These are SO cute, I love the story behind them too — any kind of holiday tradition makes me so happy! Such great pictures too, so festive. Love cookie week!
Thank you, Michelle! I agree, cookie week is the best!! 🙂
Meatball cookies???? Where the heck have these been all my life?? I’m going to have to ask boy if he had these growing up! Anyways, these look just sublime, Annie!!! I think it would be hard for anyone NOT to eat an entire platter (large or small) of these scrumptious cookies! I love the spices in here and that you used shortening! These look deliciously dangerous!! Pinned! Cheers!
Yes, ask Boy! These are the kind of cookie that just go! I mean go, without even thinking twice about it! Kinda scary!! Thanks for the pin, my friend! Cheers! 🙂
Grandma’s recipes are always the best! I love that feeling! In my house once my grandma burn or toasted vanilla cookies a bit more than usual, an since that accident we all asked her to toast them on purpose!!! great recipe!
I bet you do! I love that!! Those are the memories that stick….the best!! Thanks, dear!
Wow! I have never heard of meatball cookies Annie, but it looks like I’ve been totally missing out for years! They sound like the perfect warm and cozy Christmas cookie! They’re adorable and so festive looking too! Can’t wait to add them to my holiday baking list!
These are a staple for us! And they can be made in different colors with different flavor combinations… I think you’ll love them, MaryAnn! Thank you!!
If your grandma made these, I’m sure they are fabulous, Annie! All those warm spices and chocolate and then that festive topping? So perfect for Christmas! Plus, I just love the name of these. How could they not put a big smile on your face? Santa would come back for seconds of these, I’m sure 😉 Happy Monday, my friend! xoxo
This is a very popular Italian cookie…I took a few liberties but it’s the ‘meatball cookie’ just the same! The spices make it! Thanks so much, my friend! Have a great day!! xoxo
Hey friend, you got me! These will be sitting right alongside my white meatballs this year! I like the white icing instead of the chocolate too. Can’t wait for the cookie baking to begin ?
Ahhhh! That makes me happy! They’ll be sitting alongside very fine company! Thanks, my friend! xo
A meatball cookie?! I LOVE the sound of these, Annie! What a fun tradition! These definitely look addicting and like the perfect cookie to add to any holiday dessert table. Love how cute these are!
I know! Meatball cookie is so cute, isn’t it?! I’ll eat meatballs in any form! Thanks, my friend! 🙂