Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Spicy chili and chocolate may sound like a combination that just does not go together, but there are chili recipes out there that use chocolate to add depth of flavor and mole sauce is known for combining the spiciness of poblanos (or other chili peppers) with–you know it–chocolate!

Enter these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies.  I know.  If you’re like me and you watch the Christmas Cookie Challenge on the Food Network then you saw at least three different varieties of Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies make their way to the judging table.  I don’t care though.  These are just too good not to share!

But let me tell you something about these cookies: I have made them so many times within the past year that it’s just about impossible to keep count!  The last time I brought them in to work, I sent an email out to say there were cookies and they were gone before 9 am.  This is the kind of cookie you want to get your hands on and, if someone else doesn’t get there fast enough, you’re reluctant to share even a small bite of yours.

Now, let me tell you another thing about these cookies–they have the perfect amount of spice in them and, while it may not be noticeable at first, the heat hits you after you think you’re in the clear.  But it’s just the right amount of heat.  Fun fact: I cannot handle spice.  The slightest amount sets my mouth on fire and almost immediately gives me a headache, but even I can handle these.  I’ve tested them out on people with a higher tolerance for spicy foods and they’ve loved them too.  It’s the right balance of heat to give you a pleasant surprise when you swallow that first bite and feel it in the back of your throat as you go for the second.

These have been a hit at the office, with friends and family, and at cookie exchanges.  Cinnamon features prominently both in the dough and in the milk crumbs and these are definitely a unique version of a chocolate cookie–despite how many people make chili and chocolate cookies in televised baking competitions!  How many of those are stuffed with marshmallow?

Because that gooey marshmallow interior and the sprinkle of salt on the top help take these to another level.  The marshmallow helps cool the spice (also, what is a hot chocolate without marshmallows?!) and the salt (and the bittersweet chocolate) helps keep the sweetness in check. 

This could just be one of the best recipes I’ve posted on this site to date. Trust me, this is not one that you want to skip or miss out on!

Print Recipe

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

These dark, double chocolate cookies are stuffed with marshmallows and full of cinnamon flavor. Add to that the chili and cayenne that hit at the end, and you have a cookie that warms you from the inside out. Yields about 15-16 cookies

Course

Dessert

Cook Time

15-17 minutes

Servings

cookie

Ingredients

Cinnamon Milk Crumbs

• 1/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk split into 3 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
• 4 tsp all purpose flour
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter melted
• 1 oz white chocolate chips melted

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 1/2 cup salted butter cold and cubed
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg large
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 24 grams bittersweet chocolate (60% or higher -- if using Ghirardelli chips, it's about 2 Tbsp), melted and cooled to room temp
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 recipe cinnamon milk crumbs
• 6-8 marshmallows cut in half
• coarse/flaked sea salt for sprinkling

Course Dessert Cook Time 15-17 minutes Servings cookie Ingredients Cinnamon Milk Crumbs 1/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk split into 3 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp 4 tsp all purpose flour 1 tsp corn starch 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 pinch salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 Tbsp butter melted 1 oz white chocolate chips melted Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies 1/2 cup salted butter cold and cubed 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 egg large 1 tsp vanilla extract 24 grams bittersweet chocolate (60% or higher -- if using Ghirardelli chips, it's about 2 Tbsp), melted and cooled to room temp 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 1 recipe cinnamon milk crumbs 6-8 marshmallows cut in half coarse/flaked sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Cinnamon Milk Crumbs

1. Preeat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp of the instant nonfat dry milk, 4 tsp all-purpose flour, 1 tsp corn starch, 1 tsp granulated sugar, pinch of salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
3. Using a spatula, stir in the 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter until small clumps start to form. Spread the mixture the prepared baking sheet and bake 20 minutes until sandy.
4. Return the crumbs to the small bowl, stir in the other 1 Tbsp of nonfat instant dry milk. Add the melted white chocolate and stir until evenly coated. Set aside.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream together the 1/2 cup cold, cubed butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate one at a time. Mix to combine between each addition. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp chili powder, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Add to the mixing bowl 1/2 at a time. Mix until the dough just begins to come together.
4. Add the 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and full recipe of cinnamon milk crumbs. Transfer back to the medium bowl that held the dry ingredients and chill about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a large scoop, spoon out a mound of dough. Use a clean finger or butter knife to create a hole in the center--excess dough should go over the edges of the scoop. Squish down one of the marshmallow halves and place it into the hole. Fold down the excess dough and press down so that it's fully compacted in the scoop. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse/flaked sea salt.
6. Bake about 15-17 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack or a cool baking sheet.

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