Getting that Christmas feeling going - Chocolate Cookies With Cinnamon and Pine Nuts

Christmas has been such a big part of my life these past six months that it feels almost strange that it is actually Christmas for real soon. I am doing my best to bring back that feeling but I'm having some problems with it so I thought that if I attack it on all fronts, not only in my home but also here on Lucullian, I might get that Christmas spirit. I need to go to that big Swedish shop and get lots of candles too and as soon the Christmas Tree Man sets up his trees up in his usual corner of a street in Pistoia, I will buy a tree too (though I wont bring it into the house until the 23rd). I will not give up.

This is an old recipe that had a certain success on my Swedish food blog years ago, I have updated it with the addition of cinnamon because I am quite fond of that combination myself and it gives the cookies a Christmas feeling but it is an optional addition, you do as you want. I will be back with more Christmas friendly recipes, some because they ooze of that season feeling and some because they are fast and easy to do but have nothing to do with Christmas except being a good relief from stress.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH CINNAMON AND PINE NUTS

150 g/5,3 ounces salted butter
150 g/5,3 ounces brown sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
200 g/ 7 ounces flour
3 tbsp pine nuts

  Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and cinnamon into the butter and sugar, add pine nuts and mix it all well.

   Roll the dough into a long roll and let it rest wrapped in plastic foil for an hour in the fridge.

   Slice the roll thinly (0,5 cm/0,2 in) and put the slices on baking sheets. If you don't have the time or want to skip the fridge part, just roll the dough into little balls straight away and flatten them with a fork or your hand before putting them on a baking sheet.

  Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes in a pre-heated oven (175°C/350°F).