Bohemian Chocolate Cookies

These little cookies are the quiet showstoppers of any holiday cookie platter.

Bite-sized balls of buttery dough laced with melted milk chocolate and finely grated walnuts, baked low and slow until they develop a delicate, crumbly texture that dissolves the moment it hits your tongue.

The recipe makes an impressive 16 dozen, which sounds like a lot until you realize people will eat them by the handful.

Rolled to the size of a shelled filbert (that’s a hazelnut, for the uninitiated), they’re the kind of cookie that looks elegant on a plate but takes almost no skill to pull off.

Kitchen Tips

• Grate the walnuts finely, almost to a powder. Chunky pieces will make the dough hard to roll into smooth balls.
• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, not in the microwave. Gentle heat prevents seizing and keeps the texture smooth.
• These spread during baking, so leave space between them on the cookie sheet.
• Baking low and slow is the secret. Resist the urge to crank the heat. The long, gentle bake gives them that signature melt-away crumble.