Cookies make everything better

Christmas is coming. I can no longer deny this fact. My birthday has passed (at the end of November), which for me typically means that it is allowed to start being Christmas. And Christmas isn’t even a BAD thing… I mean, there are few other opportunities to shower our loved ones with yummy food and gifts! But since this pandemic started and I had to spend last Christmas away from my family and loved ones, it kind of broke my heart and so this year I am approaching the holiday in what I would call a cautiously optimistic mood.

But I still have been finding that I need some sort of way to boost my Christmas spirit… and for me, that usually involves food. Tragedy, right? Especially when it’s food as yummy as the recipe that I want to share with you today.

It’s for what may very well be my favourite Christmas cookies. They are called Spiced Mexican Chocolate Cookies, and they are the best combination of sweet and salty and spicy. They are super easy to whip up in a matter of minutes and the end result is always fantastic.

If you have to spend this month without your loved ones, I sort of feel like these cookies can help your heart heal from being away from your loved ones at Christmas. And if you are able to get together with the important people in your life, share these cookies with them as well! They make a great party gift.

Spiced Mexican Chocolate Cookies:

· 1¼ cups all-purpose flour

· ¼ cup unsweetened ground cocoa

· 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

· ½ tsp. baking powder

· ½ tsp. salt

· ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

· ½ cup butter, cut into pieces

· 1cup semisweet chocolate chips

· ¾ cup granulated sugar

· 2eggs

· 2 tsp. vanilla

· 3 tbsp. Demerara (raw) sugar

1) Preheat your oven to 350°F

2) In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Set this aside while you work with the other ingredients

3) Using low heat, use a 2-quart saucepan to heat the butter and chocolate chips, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the granulated sugar. Pour this mixture into a large bowl

4) Beat in the eggs one at a time using a spoon until blended. Beat in the vanilla

5) Combine the mixtures until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes

6) Shape the dough into 36 (1¼”) balls. Lightly butter your hands if the dough is sticky when shaping it into balls. Place the cookie balls 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with a fork. Sprinkle about ¼ tsp. of Demerara sugar over top of each cookie

7) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove from the cookie sheets and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely (at least 20 minutes)

8) Store covered in airtight container