Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies

Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies is on every holiday Christmas cookie tray every year without fail.


I think just about everyone in Upstate New York especially in the Utica, New York area, makes these cookies for Christmas and wedding trays.


These chocolate cookies have a sweet chocolate spiced flavor and a perfect fall flavored cookie.


Decorated with a delicious white homemade easy frosting, it adds just the right blanket of snowy feel to bring a feeling of winter comfort to the cookie tray.


Of course being such a popular cookie on an Italian wedding trays and local bakeries, these were referred to as meatball cookies, maybe a little a more familiar name for you.


As most kids back in the 1960s we seem to all have different names for our Italian foods in every household.


You may even have named them something different like frosted chocolate balls, spiced chocolate cookies or maybe just those chocolate chocolate chip cinnamon balls.


These cookies ended up being the most popular for my kids growing up and their favorites.


We also make 24 different kinds every year and still do along with Girl Scout Copycat Cookies and a few other favorite childhood cookies!


It doesn't matter who or what you named these, they are a must make and wonderful memory or my childhood cooking baking days at Christmas time.


This recipe is simple, just scroll down to the recipe card and print it off.

Christmas Memories

Back in the 80's when the kids were little, we began our traditions with hope that they too would carry on.


In the early 80's, when the kids were little, we began our traditions making all kinds of Christmas cookies mom and grandma made for the season with hope that they too would carry on.

Holiday Baking is the Best!

Every Christmas, each member of the family picks their favorite cookie to put on the list, this happens to be my oldest son Chad.


That's him in the picture looking straight at you. Since he was the age of four.


Chad has loved these cookies and they still remain his very favorite of all cookies.

Where Does The Time Go?

Oh and by the way, he is now in his 20's, my how time flies.


He will still ask me every year to make this cookie as if I would ever forget.


My younger son Curt loves the raspberry filled shortbread cookies.


When they were both little, we use to make Christmas cookies the whole month of October and November, and freeze them we have at least 24 different kinds.

Everyone Has a Favorite Cookie

Grandma and Mom had so many different kinds I would make them all so they could choose their favorites to remember.


Once I went back to work, there was no time to devote to that kind of baking, and of course, they soon were grown.


Now only the favorites that they really loved as children are the cookies we make every year.

Making Memories Every Year

It's amazing I realized only then when they both grew up and went out on their own, what incredible memories we shared in those days.


Those days have carried on through the years as they became adults.

Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies Pin for later

Keeping Memories Alive in the Kitchen

Those favorite cookies, that linger in all our minds through childhood days stay with you through your whole adult life.


That's the greatest gift of all, that we all share and give to each other and you don't even know when it really happens, with food you can etch a memory of taste that lasts forever.


Even though Grandma has been gone since 1976, we still keep her memory alive making her cookies.

Cherish The Moments

How fast the time goes by, and these by far are the hardest of posts to write, tears of the happiest days and times gone by, but life goes on.


We all continue making new memories to share through our lives through the foods we share with our families and friends.

Hopefully, they will carry on traditions with their kids.

Great moments in time last forever through our cooking and sharing recipes.


Those tastes are embedded in our memories forever from our childhoods long into adulthood and that's what makes these holidays so special.


Someone else somewhere has made the same kind of memories that last forever, so this plain and simple cookie became a very special part of our Christmas baking and will for years to come.


Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies are addicting and often Italian's called them chocolate meatballs cookies because of their dense spicy round ball shapes.


I am sure through the years these chocolate spice meatball cookies, attained many names and surely a classic keeper in the cookie making at Christmas.

Try Some of Our Other Favorite Cookies

Italian No Bake Rum Balls
Cherry Coconut Cookies
Chocolate fudge rolls
Jam filled bow ties
Almond Paste dipped crescent cookies

Don't Forget to Try Our Other Favorite Holiday Traditions and Recipes:

25 Favorite Cookie Recipes


Italian Christmas Eve Traditional Menu


24 Holiday Italian Cookie Recipes

Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies

Yield: 32

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 25 M

This is a vintage chocolate spice cookie referred to meatball cookies on an Italian Wedding Tray or during the Christmas Holiday season. The cookie is iced with white thick frosting and laced with cinnamon spice.

ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 - 8-ounce package of cream cheese room temperature (softened)
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 5 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

instructions:

How to cook Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Add softened cream cheese.
4. Add all dry ingredients and alternate with the 1 cup of evaporated milk.
5. After you have blended thoroughly, fold in the 2 cups of chocolate chips and (1 cup of walnuts these are optional). 
6. Roll into the size of a walnut bake on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper-lined sheet at 350 degrees,  for 15 minutes, cool completely. 
7. Frost with white icing.
8. Frosting Recipe:
9. 2 cups powdered sugar
10. 2 tablespoons of shortening add evaporated milk a little at a time till easy to spread but still nice and thick, on cooled cookies.
11. If you like a thin glaze just add more milk.
12. You can decorate these with colored sprinkles on top of the frosting or use finely chopped nuts or coconut for a change.

Calories
129

Fat (grams)
15

Sat. Fat (grams)
9

Carbs (grams)
22

Net carbs
16

Sugar (grams)
27

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2009/12/grandmas-italian-chocolate-spice.html

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Italian

Created using The Recipes Generator

Grandma's Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies Pin for later

Some More Of Our Holiday Recipe Collections:

Easter Recipes
Game Day Recipes
Best Holiday Side Dishes
Red White and Blue Recipes
Halloween Roundup
Thanksgiving Recipes
Christmas Recipes

Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2019.