ITALIAN CHOCOLATE RECIPES

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.

Steps:

• Cream butter, then cream shortening.
• Add sugar and mix.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well until smooth consistency.
• Roll a golf-ball size amount of batter into a ball.
• Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees about 25 minutes.
• Keep checking to see if they are not too doughy, or too done.
• Frost with white frosting.
• Italian White Frosting: Beat egg whites until stiff.
• Add sugar and juice. Stir until completely mixed.
• Dip chocolate cookies into frosting mixture upside down, holding onto bottom.
• Place on waxed paper until frosting dries.
• When dried, put into covered containers.
• Makes enough frosting for approximately 10 dozen cookies.