Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

 

If you're celebrating Cinco de Mayo then these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are a scrumptious nod to honour and celebrate the day of Mexican heritage and culture. A crisp and chewy chocolate crackle cookie with a distinctive mellow spicy piquant rich taste. Definitely moreish and you'll want to bake these whether it's Cinco de Mayo or not.  

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup to 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar, for rolling

Line a large baking tray or two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cayenne powder and chilli powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the melted butter, cocoa powder and molasses and stir until well combined. Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the buttery cocoa mixture and stir until combined. Leaving no flour streaks in the mixture. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or alternatively lightly flour hands, as the dough is sticky, and roll the cookie dough between hands into balls no larger than a walnut, then roll in the cinnamon sugar and place on a plate lined with waxed paper and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Keeping the remaining cookie dough balls in the refrigerator until ready to bake. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). 

If not pre-rolling, Place the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl. When the 30 minutes of chill time is up, use a cookie scoop, that's a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, to portion out the cookie dough, and roll lightly between hands to form a ball. Roll in the sugar to coat then place dough balls on the prepared baking tray, 2 inches apart. Place the bowl with the remaining portion of cookie dough back in the refrigerator until the first set of cookies are baked and are ready to roll and finish baking the rest of the dough.  

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies should puff up and start to crackle on top. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with more sugar, if desired.

Notes: you can replace the cinnamon sugar for rolling with caster sugar instead. 

Mexican Stew

This straightforward spicy stew takes little effort and just a bit of time however it is satisfying and perfect to warm you up on a chilly Fall or Winter's night. 

Mexican Stew  ( Carne Guisada ) 

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1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds stewing beef, cubed

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cans (796ml, 28 fl oz) no salt diced tomatoes

2 cans (8oz) crushed tomato sauce

2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped - optional

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed - optional

In a large stock pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and cook until browned on all sides. Add the onion and green and red peppers and sauté for a few more minutes. 

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, jalapeños, if adding, garlic, and chili powder, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer over a gentle boil, covered, for 40 to 50 minutes.

Add the salt and black pepper and adjust the seasoning according your to taste. Stir in the black beans and allow to simmer a few more minutes. Serve into bowls with a warm tortilla on the side. May also be served with rice.

Notes: I added a bit more chili powder then stated. If you can not find crushed tomato sauce then use strained tomatoes or pasta sauce. This recipe does make a large amount so there were leftovers to which I added a cup of frozen corn.