Total Time

　　10 hr (includes soaking raisins)

　　Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 10 hr (includes soaking raisins)

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 12 large cookies

　　1/2 cup golden raisins

　　1/3 cup gin

　　3 cups sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring)

　　2/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process (sift before measuring)

　　1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (unsifted)

　　3/4 teaspoon salt

　　3 large egg whites

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla

　　8 oz pecans (2 1/4 cups), toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped

　　

Step 1

Combine raisins and gin in a cup and let stand at least 8 hours to macerate.

　　

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 large baking sheets, shaking off excess flour.

　　

Step 3

Mix confectioners sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, flour, and salt with an electric mixer at low speed. Add egg whites and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.

　　

Step 4

Drain raisins in a sieve, without pressing, then add raisins to dough with pecans. Stir until thoroughly mixed. (Dough will be thick and sticky.)

　　

Step 5

Working quickly, drop 1/4 cup dough for each cookie onto a baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 3 inches apart, and gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick.

　　

Step 6

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven, rotating sheet halfway through baking, 15 to 17 minutes total, or until cookies appear cracked and centers are just set. Cool cookies on sheet 1 minute, then transfer carefully to a rack to cool completely.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　•You can soak raisins in gin up to 1 week.

　　•Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.