Hello! And welcome to my third contribution to an amazing event going on right now called #Choctoberfest 2017 put on by Allison of The PinterTest Kitchen! For this recipe, I decided to give an old favorite of mine a shiny, new, chocolate makeover! And these Mexican Chocolate Amaretto Halloween or “Day of the Dead” Cookies (aka “Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies”, also “Russian Tea Cake Cookies”), were devilishly delicious and perfect for a Halloween Party!

 

 

 

Besides Halloween, these of course would also be a wonderful treat to enjoy during the “Day of the Dead”, (Día de los Muertos), celebration which honors those who have passed away. Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, India, Brazil, Haiti, and many Latin American countries worldwide.

And if you teach Spanish as a second language, this would be a wonderful treat to bring in for your class to enjoy while teaching them about this celebration that takes place on November 1st and continues through the 2nd! (*If students are under the legal age for alcohol consumption, simply omit the Amaretto.)

(Note: Though these aren’t the traditional almond sugar cookies served for Day of the Dead celebrations, they have similar flavors and ingredients, and would be a nice extra treat if going authentic. And they sure are a lot easier to “decorate”!)

So anyways, my mom is a retired Spanish teacher, and I took Spanish in middle school and high school. And I loved learning about other cultures and far away lands! It always seemed so magical to me!

And believe me when I say….these cookies are truly magical! Absolutely DELICIOUS. Incredibly flavorful, and not dry and crumbly like a lot of these traditional wedding cake cookie recipes tend to be.

I have always loved these cookies, and they happen to be my neighbor’s favorite, too! But the addition of the high-quality, Dutch-Processed Cocoa by Rodelle was what finally took them way over the top!

Rodelle is another one of our kind and generous sponsors for this year’s Event and Giveaway, and their premium cocoa powder is nothing short of exquisite!! 

 

 

 

*Rolled and ready to bake! By the way, they all fit nicely on one baking sheet!
Less to wash is always a good thing!

 

It certainly wouldn’t be a Halloween Party with some cookies, right? And since us big ghouls deserve a little treat, too, I decided to create a cookie recipe with a little splash of liqueur because, hey, we deserve it, right?

 

 

 

 

So I vamped up my old Russian Tea Cake Cookies using an amazing product sent to us to use in this event! Rodelle’s Gourmet Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa!

And though we were sent this product, any and all opinions of this (insanely delicious!) cocoa are solely my own!

And let me just say, these cookies turned out FABULOUS.

 

 

After mixing the dough, rolling them into 1 inch balls, and baking them, let them cool just a bit, then roll them into powdered sugar while they’re still warm.

 

 

Once they’ve cooled completely, roll them again! Double-coating these cookies totally makes them!!

And please excuse the odd hue of this next photo…a storm was racing in and the sky was turning a lovely shade of “SCARY”!!

It definitely created the perfect ambiance for a Halloween theme, though!

But here they are double-rolled!

 

 

I’m going to have a REALLY hard time not overeating these evilly delicious little cookies!

I’ve already given some to the neighbors, who also gave them rave reviews, and I’ll just have to freeze some….or they’re going to be doing a scary disappearing act!!

Seriously! It’s hard not to want to eat them one after the other!!

 

 

 

 

If you would like to learn a bit about this product, please read below!

 

 

 

THE RODELLE STORY

 

In addition to a great flavor,
Rodelle’s Gourmet Baking Cocoa has health benefits:

·  Antioxidants

·  Dietary Fiber

·  Calcium

·  Vitamins including Magnesium, Potassium, and Iron

·  Naturally Cholesterol-Free

·  Kosher, Gluten-Free, and Non-GMO

 

Rodelle’s Gourmet Baking Cocoa contains one of the highest levels of cocoa butter on the market, ensuring superior chocolate flavor. From rich hot cocoa to fudgey brownies, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa makes a difference you can taste!

 

 

This deeply rich cocoa, both in flavor and appearance, worked beautifully to take this classic cookie to an entirely new level! The chocolate flavor is intensely fudgey, without masking the wonderful flavors of the almonds, coconut, and Amaretto.

The consistency was divine also! Not dry at all, with a delicate crunch on the outside, and still moist on the inside!

 

 

 

Not only will these make a devilishly delicious treat for your upcoming Halloween Party, but these will also be the perfect addition to your holiday goodie trays for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve celebrations, as well!

So make sure to save this to your Pinterest boards for safe keeping! This is one you don’t want to lose!

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to enter on my Main Event Post {here} for your chance to win this incredible Prize Pack! Go check it out and see what all you can win! It’s really quite an amazing package!!!

 

 

 

Be sure to follow Rodelle to keep up with their latest recipes and promotions at Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube!

Thank you to the kind folks at Rodelle for your generosity, and introducing us to your exquisite products!!

 

~ Today’s Recipes ~
(My recipe below)

 

 

Yield: 33 - 36 cookies

Mexican Chocolate Amaretto Halloween or "Day of the Dead" Cookies

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, do not sub
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, measure by the “scoop and level” method so it's "packed"
• 3 Tbl. Amaretto Liqueur
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup Rodelle Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder, (measure the same way as above)
• 1/4 cup packed sweetened angel flake coconut
• 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

Heat oven to 400º F.

In mixer bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, Amaretto and extracts. Mix in flour, cocoa, coconut, almonds and salt.

Shape dough into 1″ balls and place onto ungreased baking sheet about one inch apart. Closer is ok, as these do not spread.

Bake for only about 10 – 12 minutes until set but not browned. Remove immediately and carefully to a wire rack. Cool slightly. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar nicely coating and placing back on rack to cool completely.

When completely cool, roll again in powdered sugar, again nicely coating. Store in airtight container on the counter or refrigerate.

Notes

*I rolled mine slightly smaller this time, yielding 37 cookies, and baked them for 10 minutes only and they were perfect. If yours are larger, bake them 1 to 2 minutes longer depending on size. Do not overbake them, though. They will be slightly soft when removing them from the cookie sheet, and firm up as they cool.

Disclaimer: Though I was sent product to use for this post, any and all opinions of this product are solely my own.