MOCHA-NUT BUTTERBALLS

Mocha-Nut Butterballs image

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 cup stick margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 3/4 cup white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans

Steps:

Cream the margarine, sugar and vanilla together until light.
Mix the coffee, cocoa, flour and salt together and add in thirds to the sugar mix. Use lowest setting on mixer, or by hand.
Mix in finely chopped pecans by hand. (I grind up in food processor.)
At this point you can chill a little or go straight to forming and baking them.
To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Shape into 1" balls and put on greased cookie sheets. They should stay pretty round so don't need to be spaced too much.
Bake about 15 minutes, until they're fairly firm when touched. If you get an indentation, bake a few minutes more.
Remove from oven and move cookies to a cooling rack. When they're still warm, roll in powdered sugar and put back on rack. If powdered sugar melts, they're too warm. If completely cool, the sugar doesn't stay on as well.
Store in a cookie tin between layers of waxed paper sprinkled with a little powdered sugar. They keep pretty well at room temp in a covered tin.