Triple Chocolate Mexican Cookies

I had no idea that this recipe was going to be such a pain in my tush.
I was making guacamole and margaritas for a meeting this past week and was going to test a few of my spicy mexican cookie recipes so that we would have something sweet to nosh on after the salty stuff.  Mexican cookies, much like Mexican hot chocolate, are basically a cinnamon spiced chocolate cookie.  If you frequent Caribou Coffee, you saw the Spicy Mocha make an appearance this year.  It has a spice mix added that has cinnamon and chili in it and will clear your stuffy nose right up!!  Yowza.  Zippy!  It is quite fantastic and when I can make it to a Caribou, I treat myself.  When I make cookies though, I prefer to give it a bit of a kick with some heat so that you really know you are eating something other than a standard chocolate cookie.  I narrowed it down to two recipes, but neither was exactly what I was looking for.  Eventually, in an effort to avoid the 13 tries it took me to get the oatmeal raisin cookies just right, I started from scratch and crossed my fingers.

The result?  I ate so much chocolate and ingested so much cayenne and cinnamon that I gave myself a headache and took to driving around town and harassing my friends so that they would eat them instead because my tastebuds were fried and I could no longer tell the difference between one cookie and another.  Major antioxidant overload.  Thankfully I hang out with opinionated and honest people so I knew just what to do to finish off this recipe.  Now you can make them too and share in the spicy triple chocolate experience.  Add a cup of coffee (or tea if that is your poison) and you will be oh so cozy and warm.  Never mind the snow falling outside the window.
One Year Ago: Pomegranate Glazed Carrots
Two Years Ago: How To: Poach Chicken & Weeknight Apple Pie
Three Years Ago: Oatmeal Pancakes & Giada’s Chocolate Chip Cookies & Chicken Salad

Triple Chocolate Mexican Cookies
These are wonderfully chewy without being cake-y.  Kind of like a sturdy, round brownie.  Obviously you can adjust the spice level to your liking as everyone prefers different levels of heat.  Doubling the amount of cayenne tastes awesome, but makes it hard to eat more than one.

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c (1 stick) of butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour-or another 1/2 c of all purpose
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Put the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium glass bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each time until just barely melted.  Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugars, vanilla and eggs until smooth.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the melted chocolate and combine.  Scrape the bowl until the chocolate is all incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Add the chocolate chips.  Scoop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a lined or greased sheet pan and bake for 11 minutes.  Cool slightly before removing to a cooling rack.  This recipe makes exactly 3 dozen and these freeze wonderfully.  Otherwise keep sealed in a container at room temp for up to three days.