By Lori Alden Holuta.

Children in her Steampunk books don’t leave cookies and milk for Santa. Turns out, in the steam powered world of Industralia, coal in your stocking is a good thing!

The book in which this appears may be purchased here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1532963289

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter room temperature

2/3 cup white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1+3/4 cups white all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cups chopped nuts [pecans, almonds, or peanuts]

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 bag [9 oz] milk chocolate kisses

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar. Using the back of a spoon works well for the creaming process.  Stir in the almond extract.

In another medium bowl, mix the flour and cocoa.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix the dough until well blended.

Stir the nuts into the dough.

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Unwrap the chocolate kisses.

Wrap about one Tablespoon of dough around each chocolate kiss, forming a ball shape. The ball does not have to be perfect, as these cookies are intended to resemble lumps of coal.

Roll dough balls gently in brown sugar, then place the dough balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until no longer sticky.

With a thin metal spatula, move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.