I belong to a group. A ladies’ group. We are as diverse as they come. Some of us have only high school educations and some have advanced degrees. Some of us are rich – really rich – and some of us struggle to make ends meet. We are old and young, professionals that work outside of the home and domestic goddesses that run a family home to perfection. We are diverse…
Yet we all have something in common. We are committed to advancing the educational needs of other women. We meet once a month and discuss how to best meet those needs. Sometimes we go out to lunch. Sometimes it’s just coffee. But sometimes we gather at one of our homes and have an out and out feast! Most of us are good cooks and we love to share our favorite recipes. Mexican Chocolate Cookies came to me through one of those great cooks. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Mexican Chocolate Cookies 
Ingredients
· 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
· 4 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
· 1 cup packed light brown sugar
· 1/2 cup granulated sugar
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 2 large eggs
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
· 1 teaspoon chili powder
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
· 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, whisking until glossy and smooth. Alternately, the butter and chocolate can be melted in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) in 25-second increments, whisking between each interval. Cool the chocolate mixture to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs on low speed until well combined. Pour in the cooled chocolate and continue to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate batter and mix on low speed until just combined and no visible flour remains. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Working in two batches, scoop 12 balls of dough (preferably using a small ice cream scoop with a spring handle, about 1 1/2 tablespoon size) onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies, one pan at a time, for approximately 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. The cookies should be puffy and still fairly soft when removed from the oven.
Immediately slide the cookies, still on the parchment paper, onto a wire cooling rack. Cool just a bit before serving, perhaps 5 to 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days, but I prefer them on the day they are baked.
