Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipe Swap (Chocolate Heaven Mocha Slice Cookies)

Hey Y ’all!

It’s that time of year again! Time for baking all those wonderful treats for our holiday gatherings!

And don’t forget to make some, just for keeping your own family in the holiday spirit, during the hustle and bustle that is sure to come during the month of December!

Every year at Christmas, I make so many tasty sweets that are “must-have” traditions for our family! And while I love knowing that I am making everyone’s favorites, I am always excited to find delicious new recipes that can become new traditions!

For that reason, I am just giddy beyond words, to be a part of a Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipe Swap with these five other amazing bloggers.

 

Lynn from “ At Home in the Wildwood”

Christina from “The Frugal Homemaker”

Abby Jo from “Forgottenway Farms”

Jen from “Jenron Designs”

Sharlie from “The Front Porch Farmhouse”

 

They each have such creative talent and I am genuinely so very honored to be a part of this festive recipe swap hop with these sweet ladies!

Please click the links for their blogs which you will find at the end of this post.  They are each featuring family favorite recipes that I am sure you will not want to miss!

When someone says the words “Christmas Cookies”, many times we only think about the brightly decorated and coated in sprinkles kind of cookies.

But, oh… let me tell you, the world of Christmas cookies is a very big, big world, indeed!

I have witnessed the creativity and variety of some wonderful home cooks, at more than one cookie swap in my lifetime.

Their cookie offerings ranged from those featuring chocolate, those containing fruit, various shortbreads, rolled and cut cookies, spice cookies, nut cookies, drop cookies, and on and on the list goes.

I absolutely love the fact that every family has their favorite recipe.  That one special cookie that, with it’s mere mention, the happiest of memories from Christmases past are recalled.

And, oh how we look forward with anticipation, the prospect of tasting them again!

Some cookies that are remembered most fondly, are not even ones that we have each and every Christmas.

They can be ones that we had once or twice or either it has been a few years since we dusted off the recipe.  And that old adage of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” definitely rings true!

The latter would be case for the cookie recipe that I am sharing with you today.  The recipe was shared with me many, many years ago, but I do not know its original creator.

I adore these cookies and I believe the reason that I stopped baking them was because my children were young and they were much more eager to enjoy those colorful cut-outs that I mentioned earlier.

So…you know what Mama did when the kids were not eating the cookies, right?

Yes ma’am!  I ate them! Like… all of them…until they were all gone!

I am a little ashamed to say that you read that correctly!  I have been guilty of eating almost the entire recipe all by myself!  Hence, the reason why I have not made them in a while.

They are so good that, in years past, I knew, I made them, there was a chance that I would eat way too many of them!

That is because these Mocha Slices are rich, decadent, smooth, a little crunchy, a little chewy, and just plain dangerous, y’all!  They are everything you could ever need in a chocolate cookie.

With just a hint of cinnamon and a touch of coffee, they give you the sweet and savory flavors of the season, while also offering a chocolate lover’s desire for true, deep mocha flavor!

This year, now that my boys are older and my hubby loves chocolate maybe even more than I do, I have no fear that they will be promptly gobbled up!

No fear that I will be left to consume mass quantities of Chocolate Heaven Mocha Slices, this year!

Yay! I think…

Now that you pretty much know all about these velvety and delicious morsels except for how they actually taste, are you ready to eat one (or five) right away?

Well then, let’s get on to this fabulous recipe, so that you can gobble a few down before your family finds them and eats them all!

Ingredients:

1 heaping tablespoon of instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon of warm water

½  cup of shortening

½  cup of butter

2 ½  cups of flour

1 cup sugar

½  cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1  egg

2  tablespoons milk

1  teaspoon vanilla

1  teaspoon ground cinnamon

½  teaspoon baking soda

¼  teaspoon salt

1  12 ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet pieces

¼  cup of shortening

In your stand mixer, (or in a large bowl if you do not have a stand mixer) beat ½ cup of shortening and your butter on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds until softened.

Add about half of the flour and all the sugar, cocoa powder, egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the shortening/butter mixture.  Beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Beat or stir in the remaining flour until completely combined.

Shape the dough into 2  8 inch rolls.  Wrap the rolls in waxed or parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Chill in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

Cut dough into 1/8 inch to ¼ inch slices, based on preference for thickness.

The cookies may lose their round shape while slicing, but the dough is pliable and easy to reshape by hand.  Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375* oven for 7-9 minutes or until the tops look dry.  Do not overcook as these are to be a moist and chewy cookie rather than a crunchy one.  Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

In a heavy saucepan, heat chocolate pieces and ¼ cup of shortening over low heat until just melted, stirring occasionally.

Dip half of each cookie into chocolate mixture or spoon the chocolate over half, both on front and back of cookie and place onto a wax or parchment paper lined surface.  Let them stand until the chocolate is set.

NOTE: These cookies need to be kept in an airtight container.  They will actually taste best the next day. The chocolate coating softens the texture of the cookie and the flavors seem to come together in such a delicious way!

This recipe will make about 55 to 60 cookies, depending on the thickness of your cut.

Fun Variations:

You can add colored sprinkles or large red and green sugar crystals after dipping. This adds a festive touch. My personal preference is to add chocolate sprinkles. I think they add a little something extra to these little bites of chocolate heaven!

Serving Suggestion:

It makes a pretty presentation to have a platter full of cookies displaying some plain with just chocolate, some with colored sprinkles, some with sugar crystals and you can even use “white chocolate” for dipping a few, if you like.

I truly hope that you try this recipe.  It is so worth the steps!  The flavor and texture hit all the notes for a decadent cookie experience!  Maybe they will become a new favorite for your family for the holiday, or any day for that matter!

Happy Cooking, Y’all!

 

Please go and visit these talented ladies and their beautiful blogs!  They have some delicious treats waiting for you!

Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipe Swap

Reindeer Cookies – The Frugal Homemaker 

Mocha Slice Cookies- Southern Bella Home

M&M Cookies – At Home In The Wildwood

 Peppermint Twist Cookies- Jenron Designs

Iced Sugar Cookies- ForgottenWay Farms

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie- The Front Porch Farmhouse

 

With Love,

Sharon at Southern Bella Home

 

“O, Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him!”

Psalm 34:8 KJV