Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

It's almost Cinco de Mayo - that important Mexican holiday (where the Mexican militia defeated the French army in 1862) that in the US is basically celebrated with beer, tequila, salsa and chips.  Well, you need a little sweet to go with all that alcohol and salt, don't you? So how about Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies? The "hot" coming from a healthy addition of chili powder. 

But before we get to the cookies, I want to tell you about a terrific Mexican restaurant in Manhattan that we visited last week.  It's called Hell's Kitchen (appropriate, given its location in that section of NYC and it's focus on Mexican foods) and it's not your average south of the border restaurant. It's a rather small space, the tables are a little too close together, and the noise level at peak times approaches a low roar (oh, and the lighting is so low, I almost had to ask for a flashlight to read the menu). So why would I even bother telling you about this place?  It's the food, of course! 


Our meal began with two appetizers - Duck Confit Empanadas with Cranberry Mole and Pico de Gallo, and Hoja Sania Crusted Tuna Tostados with Guacamole and Grilled Pineapple - fabulous! 

Entrees consisted of Grilled Shrimp with Serrano Sauce, Sweet Plantain and Guacamole; Skirt Steak Tacos; Ancho Crusted Tuna and Yucca Cake with Smoky Peanut Sauce; and a wonderful Chilean Sea Bass. Everything was outstanding - not to mention the luscious and thirst-quenching Pineapple Margaritas and the Wajito (a lovely concoction of light run, fresh watermelon, lime juice, and fresh mint). 


As we were running to make the 8pm curtain on Broadway, we didn't get to sample dessert at Hell's Kitchen, but that's what the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are for.


The cookies are from (yet another) edition of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I have made these cookies twice in the last two weeks because they are just that good. And they are super easy to make, and let me see, what else? Right - delicious! Soft, chewy, so chocolatey-cinnamony, and with that extra little twist of chili powder, it ranks right up there in my all time cookie best. 


So if you are planning a little Cinco de Mayo celebration of your own next week, go ahead and serve the usual suspects, but spice things up a bit with these cookies. Happy Cinco de Mayo!


Print Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe Here

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