It’s a tradition of mine that with the baking extravaganza I embark on every December, I try at least one new Christmas cookie. This year, I wanted something a little different, a bit unexpected.

These cookies nailed it!

As I went through the ingredient list, I did pause & speculation set in when I read chili powder. You know, chili powder that includes garlic & onion powder. But, I shook my head & said aloud, “trust the process.” I did & couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. The only alteration I made was to increase the cayenne pepper from a 1/4 tsp to a 1/2 tsp, maybe a smidge more. It’s subtle & so worth it!

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, 4 oz

4 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

In a small saucepan, melt butter & unsweetened chocolate, until glossy & smooth. Remove from heat & allow to cool until room temperature.

Beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, & eggs on low speed until well combined. Pour in cooled chocolate & mix until evenly distributed.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Add dry ingredients to cream mixture & beat on low until just combined with no visible flour remains.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

On parchment lined paper, using a cookie scoop, add cookie dough balls, leaving a 1 1/2 inch of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Remove from oven & transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Source (adapted slightly): https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/spicy-mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies-1962907