Chocolate Pizzettes are a classic Italian chocolate cookie. Similar to Biscotti, Pizzettes combine rich chocolate, toasted almonds and warm spices to create a unique flavor that’s absolutely delectable!
Christmas is a week away and my baking has kicked into high gear. So many delicious delectable treats to be made and only so much time left to do it!
Last week I was up to my elbows in sugar and flour making my traditional Italian cookie platter. I shared my recipes for Snowball Cookies and Chocolate Espresso Pistachio Balls already. Today these Chocolate Pizzettes are the final little cookie that I baked to add to my platter. The cookie platter that has pretty much been wiped out I might add!
We all love each of these cookies but also have our favorites as well. These Chocolate Pizzettes are my Mom’s all time favorite cookie. I thought her eyes were going to pop right out of her head when she saw that I had made them!
Luckily this recipe makes a large batch of cookies so there was plenty to share!
Before we get to the recipe I thought I would share a few step by step pictures of what the process entails to make them.
Once your dough for these Chocolate Pizzettes is made the first thing you need to do is roll your dough into a log about 1-2 inches in diameter. I usually do this in a few batches so I can roll it out on my cutting board.
Once you have your dough rolled out the next step is to cut slices of cookies out. I cut them at an angle about 1 inch wide.
Then you place each cookie onto an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart to bake.
Chocolate Pizzettes
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 4 Cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Heaping, baking powder
- 1 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Allspice
- 1 teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1 3/4 Cups Sugar
- 1 Large egg
- 1 ,12 ounce bag Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 Cup Canola oil
- 1 Cup Hot coffee
- 2 Cups Toasted almonds ,chopped
Chocolate coating
- 1 ,12 ounce bag Semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1-2 Tablespoons Shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
For the cookies:
- In a medium bowl mix together, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and sugar. Set aside.
- Place chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and pour hot coffee over them. Let sit for one minute then stir to melt the chocolate. Add oil to the mixture and beat with an electric hand mixer to incorporate. Mix in the egg.
- Gradually add your dry ingredients into the wet to form a dough. Once well combined mix in your chopped almonds.
- Roll dough into logs (in several batches) and cut at an angle into 1 inch slices.
- Place cookie slices on your cookie sheet about an inch apart.
- Bake for 7 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and cool cookies completely.
For the melted chocolate topping:
- In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate chips until smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of shortening to chocolate to thin out for easier dipping.
- Once cooled, dip tops of cookies in melted chocolate and place back on cooling rack until chocolate has set.
Notes
Nutrition
Chocolate Pizzettes are one of my family’s favorites. I hope they become one of yours too!
Here are some more great cookie recipes for you to try:
{Ultimate} Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you would like to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+ just click on the social media buttons at the top right hand corner of the page and it will bring you right to my page. Once you’re there just hit “like” or “follow”! Easy! It’s a great way for you to see when I add something new!
I will be sharing this recipe at the following link parties:
OMG Nicole – these look FANTASTIC !!
Heavenly treat
I have to try this!
Thanks Winnie! We love them! The spices with the chocolate give them a very unique flavor combination. Really delicious! Enjoy!
My mouth is watering.
Thanks for sharing these yummy treats!
My pleasure! Enjoy!
Lovely recipe and pics. Pinned to my board. Kitchen Dreaming’s Party
Nicole-
One egg only? It isn’t in the ingredients.
Yes Sharon. One egg. Thanks for catching that! I just updated the recipe.
Thanks Nicole! I am making them now. These look just like Italian cookies we had when we were little. I am going to surprise my Mom also! 🙂
What a great surprise! I hope she loves them as much as my Mom does!
I’ve never heard of those before, they look so full of chocolate and that glaze looks amazing. I’m opening the link party early this week to make up for missing last weeks, so be sure to stop by and link up at the earlier time of Saturday 8am UK time. Happy New Year!
These sound great, but we are not coffee drinkers. What would you suggest to use as a substitute?
Hi Delina, You can use hot water. You may lose a bit of the flavor that the coffee adds but these cookies have so much flavor already there will be plenty to make up for it. Not sure if you are completely adverse to coffee flavor or you just don’t keep any in the house because you won’t drink it. If you’re ok with the coffee flavor you can use instant coffee. My market sells it in very small size jars so you wouldn’t have much left over. Either way they still be delicious.
have you ever frozen these? if so, does it effect the icing?
I have frozen them but I freeze them without the icing and then add it after they thaw. The icing ends up turning cloudy if you try to freeze it.
I’m trying to remake my grandmother’s chocolate almond cookies, and this recipe seems very close. I remember hers having orange rind. Am I on the right track? Ever make these with citrus flavors?
I’m not sure Mary. I’ve never made them with orange but it would definitely work!
Hi Nicole, my grandmother brought her pizzette recipe from Calabria in 1920. But through the years measurements changed between famiy members and my cookies always turn out too sticky and too big. Thank you for sharing your family recipe as I learned I wasn’t using enough flour, and adding too much baking powder! This is a blessing. Thank you again!
Hi Tina, I’m so glad that this recipe helped! There’s nothing better than old family recipes that get handed down. A lot of recipes that my grandmother made didn’t have exact ingredients. She would add a little of this and a little of that so I can understand how your family recipe may have changed a bit over the years. Glad this one helped you get back to your grandmother’s!
I’m glad you posted this recipe. This is my families favorite holiday cookie. I always make them at Christmas. I’m going to try your frosting recipe. I’ve always used confectioners powder cocoa and water and the frosting turns a funny white color and doesn’t stay nice and chocolate brown. I’m hoping your method works better. Thank you!
Hi Maria, This is one of my family’s favorites as well. Just keep in mind that if you are not tempering your chocolate that you may notice a whitish tinge on some of the chocolate in a couple days. I like to wait until the same day that I’ll be serving them to dip the cookies in the chocolate.
Do you use espresso coffee?
I use whatever I have on hand. Both regular coffee or espresso will work.
I always make one new cookie every Christmas and this year this is it. My challenge is making each new recipe gluten free. Looks like I’ve managed to do just that. Is the texture softer than an a biscotti? Just curious as these taste amazing but as I can’t make the original due to wheat allergy I don’t know what the wheat version texture is.
Yes…They are softer than a biscotti. So glad you were able to create them in a gluten free version!
What gf flour did you use? I would love to make these for my granddaughter!!
Made these cookies a few days ago. My granddaughter (21) loves coffee and chocolate together . These are perfect for her. We’re easy to make and taste wonderful. Left them in oven 2 min longer. A little crisp on outside but soft on inside. You can taste the spices in them. There going on my cookie trays for friends this year.
So glad you liked them Lois!
Help! Don’t know what went wrong. The dough is just crumbled and dry. No way I could roll into a log. I had to press the crumbs together to form a log. Then when I cut them they would crumble apart. I baked about two dozen and quit. The taste is great. Just don’t know what I did wrong. Any idea or suggestions? I was so excited to make these and now so disappointed. Thanks for any input.
Hmmm…I’m not sure Judy. That is disappointing. Is there any way you could have possibly added too much flour. I know I have mis-counted how many cups of flour I’ve added on occasion. It should not be that crumbly.
I guess that’s a possibility…kind of make sense though. I do count out loud. I will definitely try them again sometime. Thank you.
Let me know how it goes. And make sure you spoon your flour into the measuring cup…just scooping it with out with your measuring cup can create an inaccurate measurement. Then level it off with a straight edge.
Thank you for your follow-up advice. I am definitely going to try them again in the future. And I will definitely watch my measurements very carefully. Thank you again. Merry Christmas!!
Hi Nicole – My friend and I were looking for an easier more understandable recipe for these cookies and found yours! From the replies I just had to make them. Well, we have baked these six times already since the spring and taste just like we both grew up with in our Italian families. Would you happen to have a Pignoli recipe? Since we loved this recipe so much, I thought you might have an equally good one. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I’m so happy to hear that Sharon and Dorene! It’s one of our favorites as well.. Unfortunately I do not have a Pignoli recipe. I will keep my eyes out though.
what size cup of coffee did you use.
Hi Diane, This recipe calls for 1 cup of coffee.
Can I use milk instead of coffee?
Hi Janice, You would be better off just using hot water if you don’t have coffee. On a side note…not sure if you just don’t have coffee on hand or if you don’t like the flavor….the coffee does not really give these a coffee flavor, it just enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Will the chocolate topping/frosting harden enough so they can be layered in a box for a cookie exchange? They look delish and can’t wait to give them a try!
Hi Kim, Yes…the chocolate topping will harden. I usually separate layers with parchment paper. Just keep in mind the more shortening you use to thin the chocolate the softer the chocolate will be. It will still harden but it may be a little on the soft side if you use too much shortening.
So yummy! We don’t care for cloves so I used a little nutmeg, ginger and the cinnamon. Needed an extra 2 Tbsp of hot water. I will definately make these again!
I made these cookies this afternoon to add a chocolate option to an Italian cookie tray. Wow, I don’t like chocolate, but the spices and strong coffee yield a lovely and decadent product. I still need to glaze them, but I can tell this recipe is a keeper. I made a little extra strong coffee and ended up sprinklung maybe 3/4 tsp. after all the ingredients were added to lightly moisten the dough to form into logs.
This recipe is perfect. My aunt used to make Toto Sicilian cookies and I saw her use espresso, but wasn’t sure if espresso was used in the cookie batter or the glaze. My aunt never wrote down a precise recipe which is one of my regrets. Her Toto cookies were amazing. Can’t wait to try it! 😊