Winning Your Office Cookie Exchange: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Here's the thing about December: It's the one month of the year where I actually have no appetite for cookies.  They are EVERYWHERE. People are always giving it as gifts, or displaying it on their coffee tables or hurling it at you from their bikes (true story (people in Renton, WA can be weird)). And so few of them are special, everyone doing the same variation on the sugar cookie or the gingerbread dough they bought on sale at Jewel.  Snoozefest.  This year, for Chad's office cookie exchange, we decided to challenge our tastebuds.

Recipe #49: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Choice of libation: 

Why not be inspired by the source? Hot cocoa mix + dark chocolate syrup + pinch of cinnamon + pinch of chili powder + hot milk = a very good idea. Oh, + rum too, please

Choice of music:  

Caleb Hawley, especially his album "Side 1", ESPECIALLY the songs "Let a Little Love In" and"When My Baby's Gone." Try to pretend he doesn't look like a young Bill Pullman, if that is distracting you.  Very much a Motown throwback sound, with some awesome gospel thrown in.   

I think these are my favorite songs I've heard this year. 

Yes. Even better than "Uptown Funk."

There's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with this picture. 

Butter and chocolate: the stuff dreams are made of.

And of course we fake a double broiler

Sugar, eggs and vanilla extract, or -- say it with me, folks SPICED RUM are mixed in a separate bowl. End result should be pale and fluffy.  

That's what they called me in high school. 

No. Sigh. They really did just call me "Emma."

This is the part of the recipe that makes this boy a man.  Or something.  Basically it's the spices that elevate this cookie recipe: A crap ton of chile powder, cayenne and cinnamon.  Actually, more than the original recipe called for.  

This was the part when I realized the chocolate chips were supposed to go in separate, instead I melted it in with the other dark chocolate. Oops.  Oh well.  They would just be extra chocolate-y.

Here's where the picture of the cookies I actually made should be. But for some reason I spaced on taking that photo on my phone.  They pretty much looked like these.  Chad brought it to his office party the next day and there wasn't one cookie left, if that tells you anything. They were suuuuper spicy and suuuuper chocolate-y and now they're suuuuper gone.

Stolen and adapted from lifemadesimplebakes.com

6 tbsp. all-purpose flour

⅔ c. sugar

⅓ c. unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped

1 c. dark chocolate, wafers or chopped chocolate

5 tbsp. butter

2 eggs, room temperature

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon (we used 3 tsp)

¼ tsp. ancho or chipotle chili powder (we used 1 tsp)

½ tsp. cayenne pepper (we used 1 tsp)

½ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract (we used spiced rum)

1 c. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (DO NOT MELT THESE IN WITH THE DARK CHOCOLATE, LIKE I DID)

Preheat to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, set aside.

Set a medium size bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Add the unsweetened chocolate, dark chocolate and butter. Stir until the the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. 

Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer whip together the sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, and add in the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks.

Let the batter stand at room temperature for 10 minutes until it firms up. It will resemble brownie batter.

Using a standard size scoop, place balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops become shiny and cracked. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.