When chile met chocolate it was love at first bite!

I'm so glad I tried the wonderful Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie recipe from  Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies 2011 special issue magazine. It's a cookie worth making not just for the holidays but for all seasons. It's a rich, crunchy treat that leaves a  lively, tingly, spicy yet subtle aftertaste. Enjoy a bit of fuego!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe


Ingredients:

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

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Whisk to 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. Scrapes down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined.

 2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. let cool on rack for about 5 minutes.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies 2011