Chili Hot Chocolate Cookies

Every year I host an amazing baking event at my house. I have invited my favourite friends and relatives to bake up some cookie goodness and come over to share them with each other. 

This year will be the 7th Annual Christmas cookie exchange, and since I try to make a new type of cookie each year, it was time to get baking and make a test batch of cookies!
Since I wanted to try something different, I thought I’d try a spicy cookie! I did some googling and found that Martha Stewart has a Chili Hot Chocolate Cookie that had great reviews. I usually don’t like Martha’s recipes because they seem to have random weird ingredients that I wouldn’t want to try in a cookie, or don’t keep on hand in my house.  This time around, I read the reviews and made a few changes and pulled together a yummy new recipe.

I brought these cookies, piping hot out of the oven with me to the school when I went to pick up the girls and all of the parents who got to try them out loved the chocolatey goodness and the bit of kick from these cookies.

Chili Hot Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chile powder or cayenne pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder/cayenne pepper. Using a medium cookie scoop, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minute. Let cookies cool on wire rack and store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

I will hopefully be linking this recipe up to A Bowl Full of Lemons, Delightful Order, Doodles and Stitches and Joyful Homemaking.