Spicy Chocolate Cookies are a hit

I don’t post usually recipes on my blog, but last Friday, I was invited to judge a cookie challenge hosted by Chunk N Chip and I wanted to share with all of you, the cookies which made it to the finals. The first cookie I am sharing with you is the Spicy Chocolate Cookie and comes from Alyssa Townson.

Alyssa attended a Culinary Arts program at Saint Paul College in Minnesota prior to returning back to Claremont, where she is originally from. She is currently head chef at a small retirement home there. She loves to bake, and has been baking since she was a little girl.

Her idea of a spicy chocolate cookie came from the traditional Mexican drink: Mexican Hot Cocoa and thought, it would be awesome to have a chocolate-y cookie with a spicy kick? She wanted more than the cinnamon-spice, and added the black and cayenne peppers to flare it up.

I really liked this full flavored chocolate cookie. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a slight crispiness when fresh. Even after a few days in the refrigerator, it is still delicious although the crunch is now gone. I am not a fan of milk or white chocolate so this cookie just tasted fantastic with its dark, dark chocolate flavors.

Alyssa has kindly shared her recipe with me and I present it to you below. I’m sure you’re going to LOVE it as much as I do!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Mexican cocoa powder (or plain cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp + a dash ground cayenne
• 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and peppers; gradually add into the creamed mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (depends how big you make them) in the preheated oven. Cookies are ready when they are just barely set, still a little under-done in the middle.
5. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 24 big cookies