Monthly Archives: February 2014
Mexican Chocolate Slice-and-Bake Cookies Recipe
Ellen found this recipe online. We made the cookies to pack in kids’ lunches. The recipe is extraordinary, and simple, too. Follow the instructions to the letter; they’re perfect. And so are the cookies!
What sets Mexican chocolate apart is the addition of cinnamon and sometimes other spices. It can be difficult to find, though, so we made our own custom blend of cocoa powder, cinnamon, and a touch of cayenne to add to this cookie dough. Form the dough into logs, refrigerate, and then slice-and-bake whenever you’re in the mood for a cookie with a deep, chocolaty flavor and a little kick of spiciness at the end.
Game plan: The dough logs can be frozen for up to a month—just wrap the plastic-covered logs tightly in aluminum foil before freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt in a medium bowl to break up any lumps; set aside.
- Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
- Return the mixer to medium speed, add the egg and vanilla, and beat until just incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with the rubber spatula.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the reserved flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds.
- Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds about 1/2 inch apart on 2 baking sheets (about 20 cookies per sheet).
- Bake both sheets for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom and bake until the edges of the cookies are firm but the tops are still soft, about 6 to 7 minutes more.
- Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
SOURCE: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30524-mexican-chocolate-slice-and-bake-cookies
Cheffzilla’s Kitchen 