Italian Meatball Cookies

These look exactly like the meatballs Nonna serves on Sunday, but they are pure dessert. Italian meatball cookies, sometimes called Italian chocolate spice cookies, are a holiday cookie tradition from Italian-American kitchens, where the dark cocoa and warm spices create a deep brown drop cookie that mimics the appearance of a tiny meatball on the tray.

Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg form the spice trio that defines the flavor. These are the same warm spices you find in Italian Christmas baking like panforte and totaro, leaning more toward gingerbread territory than your standard chocolate chip. The combination with cocoa, chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts creates a cookie with serious flavor complexity in every bite.

The dough is stiff thanks to five cups of flour, so cream the shortening and sugar thoroughly before adding the eggs to incorporate enough air. Underbeaten dough turns out dense, dry cookies, while properly creamed dough yields a softer cakier crumb that holds the chocolate and fruit suspended throughout.

Form small balls about the size of a walnut, place a couple inches apart on the cookie sheet, and bake until just set. Five dozen is a serious yield, perfect for a holiday cookie tin or extended-family gift giving.

Pro Tips

• Toss the raisins and nuts with a tablespoon of the flour before adding, this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the dough
• Use Dutch process cocoa for the deepest darkest color and richest flavor
• Drop the dough with a small cookie scoop for uniform meatball sized cookies
• Bake until just set, the centers should still look slightly soft, they firm up as they cool
• These freeze beautifully, store unfrosted in a tin and pull as needed for a month or longer

Variations

• Glaze cooled cookies with a powdered sugar icing and rainbow sprinkles for festive color
• Swap raisins for chopped dried cherries or dates for different sweet pockets
• Use walnuts, pecans, or almonds based on what you have
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to amplify the chocolate flavor