Cookies with Spice and Everything Nice

Are you a fan Mexican food? Am I a fan? Hells yes I am. I bet you did not know that most weeks, 5 out of the 7 days Greg and I eat some form of Mexican food. Dinner consists of Fajitas one night, soft tacos the next, burritos... Enchiladas, tostadas and the list goes on. (Yummy... it makes my mouth water just thinking about all of it.) Plus who doesn't like chips and salsa, rice and beans, all washed down by an ice cold margarita? We eat it so much, I sometimes question if we are from Mexico.

So why do I love Mexican food? Simple, it's easy, cheesy and delicious, but mostly because I love spice. I love the burning sensation on my tongue and the instantly cleared sinuses. My favorite is the hot salsa full of seeded jalapenos or a bubbling enchilada filled with chile peppers. When I was little, my favorite thing to do at a Mexican restaurant was to eat sliced jalapenos by the handful... I know, weird right?! 

Ironically, Tuesday of this week just happened to be "National Margarita Day." What a great excuse for another night of mexican food accompanied by a few margaritas on a week night! This day being a special occasion and me being the sweet junkie that I am, I decided spice and sugar needed to mix. But how can I find something to bake that is initially sweet, but followed by a kick of heat? With the help of Martha Stewart's awesome cookie App for the Ipad, It was decided: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks), unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chile, such as arbol, chipotle or ancho (I used arbol chile)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture, beat until combined.

Chocolate dough, anyone?

2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the cinnamon and chile. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in cinnamon- sugar mixture. Place on parchment or foil-lined baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. 

Wow, those are big balls

3. Bake until cookies are set in the center and begin to crack, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool on sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer cooks to racks to cool completely. 

Can't you taste the spice by just looking at them?

Luckily for Greg's waistline, I took this batch to work. According to the work crew they were soft, chewy and had a great balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. 

Looks like their waistlines weren't in luck this time. 

So the next time you pull out your sombrero or take a shot of tequila, make these cookies; It's not every day you bite in a cookie with a happy ending.