Italian Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup grape jelly
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon cold strong black coffee
½ cup raisins
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons half and half
Colored sprinkles

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
3. With a stand mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar and jelly until creamy. Gradually add flour mixture with coffee, beating until well blended. Stir in raisins and walnuts.
4. Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown around edges.
6. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely.
7. In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and half and half until well blended. Dip top of each cookie in confectioners’ mixture. Place on wire rack and sprinkle with colored sprinkles. Let stand on wire rack until glaze has set.
8. Store in an airtight container.

Serves: 60