How to Make Italian Chocolate ToTo Cookies with Whiskey Icing

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One of my favorite Christmas dessert cookies are Italian chocolate toto cookies. Not only are they delicious, they are super easy to make too.

They are different and unique and will be enjoyed by your guests at Christmas or whenever you choose to bake them.   

Italian Chocolate Toto Cookies

I first had my first Italian chocolate toto cookies many years ago from my in-laws who are also Italian. 

I’ve modified the toto recipe in a few minor ways to make them suit our tastes, and in addition, I also adjusted quantities for a smaller batch.   

These special Italian toto cookies are small to medium balls (like pecan butterballs), but are made with chocolate and are dipped in an icing that has a hint of whiskey. 

Toto Cookies with Whiskey

There are variations of the toto cookie out there, and some may not use whiskey, and instead opt for Rum.  This is perfectly fine.   

I fell in love with these cookies with the whiskey flavor even though I’m not a whiskey drinker.

This toto recipe has been my favorite version choice ever since. 

These delicious Italian chocolate cookies are simple to make, but since you dip the toto cookies into an icing, you need to give it a good 24-48 hours for that icing to really set. 

Trust me, well worth the wait!

Chocolate Toto Cookie Texture

Unlike my Italian snowball recipe, totos are more of a dense cake-like texture, involving milk, baking powder, flour, eggs, and cocoa, plus some other ingredients which I detail out below.   

The dough will be slightly sticky, a mix between cake batter and standard cookie dough.

So please don’t keep adding flour, you need this cookie dough to be sticky.

Do you Have to Make Italian Toto Cookies with Whiskey?

There are a variety of Italian toto cookies out there.  Some with icing, some without icing.

Some with alcohol, some without.

I’ve only had them with icing personally in our Italian get togethers during the holidays, but you can certainly avoid the icing all together.

In my personal opinion, the icing truly is the “icing on the cake”, especially with the flavor of the whiskey, which is just a hint of whiskey.    

I still think the icing helps give some pizzazz to the cookies, and of course it looks incredibly impressive too!

How to Make Italian Toto Cookies

As I mentioned above, Italian toto cookies are very easy to make.

In a large mixing bowl mix all the dry ingredients (cocoa, clove, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and flour).

Notice the clove and cinnamon – this is why some people call these toto spice cookies.

In a separate bowl, blend the butter, eggs, milk, vanilla until it forms a smooth consistency.

Next add the liquids into the flour and mix. Although remember that it will be a little sticky and that is what you want.

Fold in the walnuts, then form into small balls. Do not make them too big because they will rise a little.

Bake on on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350F for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on cooling racks.

Meanwhile, create the icing which is standard icing – confectioners sugar with milk, plus the whiskey until lumps are removed. Some people use orange extract instead of the whiskey as an alternative to the alcohol.

Once fully cooled dip into the icing. Add more sugar if it is too thin.

It will take time for the icing to fully dry, so let them dry for about 1-2 days.

How to Store Italian Toto Cookies

So here’s the best part, you can store these in the freezer – even after dipping in the icing! This is a huge time saver if you’re trying to plan ahead.

Simply make sure the cookies are fully cooled and the icing is very hard. Then store in an air tight container with parchment paper between the layers.

Freeze for up to 3 months. (Yep – three months!).

Allow 24-48 hours to thaw in the fridge.

You can also freeze just the chocolate balls without the icing and then add the icing a few days before serving if you prefer.

These cookies are best served at room temperature.

How to Serve Chocolate Italian ToTo Cookies  

You can serve Italian chocolate toto cookies on a platter or you can place them inside individual muffin/cupcake wrappers to make it easier for guests to pick them up and place on a dessert plate without having to use their fingers. 

The cookie will not crumble as easily as the white powdered Italian snowball cookie, however guests may prefer to eat them using a fork which can break up the cookie. 

If you want to offer your guest some Italian cookies specifically for dipping, make sure to also check out my almond biscotti recipe.

Let’s jump right into the recipe!