Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

 The zoo in the fall gets really boring and lonely and staff gets restless and bored. I've gotta do something. What better way to boost morale than to bake cookies for all my cashiers? COOKIES FOR EVERYBODY BECAUSE I'M OUT OF CONTROL. And I'm pretty much the best manager ever. I brought up the 1803567 cookie recipes I have bookmarked and picked out Mexican hot chocolate cookies. I've been wanting to make these for so long. But I sometimes hate making cookies because I know I'm going to eat 45 of them in one day and hate myself for the next week. But these are for sharing, so I justify it. And because they're for sharing, I only ate about 23.

Have you ever had Mexican hot chocolate? It's pretty much the best. I made some earlier. Before I made the cookies. I might turn into a Mexican. Or not. I don't think that's how it works.

Anyway. I got the recipe from here.

You'll need 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sift them all together in a big bowl.

It already looks delicious.

Get another bowl and beat together 2 sticks of butter with 1 1/2 cups of sugar until it looks fluffy and delicious. Add in 2 eggs.

Is it bad that I want to eat this?

Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat everything together until it looks like a giant bowl of chocolately goodness. Make sure you taste the batter before you put it into the oven. You, know, just to make sure everything is in there. And because if nobody is there to see you eat cookie dough, the cookie dough isn't actually eaten. Right?

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon chile powder. What's that? Chili powder? In a chocolate cookie? Don't get scared. Everything is going to be ok. I promise. Just go with it.

It smells delicious.

Start forming the cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll them around in the delicious sugar mixture.

Place each cookie about 3 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Resist the urge to pop one in your mouth. (Or do it, because again, if nobody is around to see you eat it, it doesn't get eaten...)

Hey guys, you're about to go in the oven. It's gonna be really hot, but you're gonna be ok.

Pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, you're going to be overwhelmed with amazing aromas. This is normal.

Perfection.

Let them sit for a minute or two before transferring them to a cooling rack. Tell yourself over and over again that these are not for you and that you have to save them for your cashiers at work and that you cannot eat them all. But all you want to do is get a giant glass of milk and a plate full of these cookies. Even though you don't even like milk.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add flour mixture and beat together on low speed until combined.
5. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar with the cinnamon and chili powder.
6. Form dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll each ball in the sugar mixture, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. 
7. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cookies are set in the middle and begin to crack.
8. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.
9. Store in airtight container.