Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

I have a healthy collection of recipes that I am saving from other food blogs, and hopefully will be able to attempt all of them (though I collect faster than I bake). After the Orange Kiss-Me Cake, I was a bit hesitant to try another online recipe, but the Mayan Chocolate Sparklers from Under the High Chair. I loved the description and the photos, and desperately wanted to sample that chocolate-cinnamon-pepper-cayenne flavour combo.

I’m quite pleased with how my version of them turned out. The pepper lends a fantastic bite to the cookie, and the cayenne is a hot note that only resonates after you’ve swallowed most of the cookie. The cinnamon, as cinnamon tends to be with chocolate, is beautiful. The chocolate chips are a necessary component to the cookie, lent a bit of variety in the texture, as well as little niblets of pure chocolate bliss.

Oh – and the cinnamon-sugar coating adds a perfect crunch!

I halved the recipe, and used only butter, substituting for the shortening. I’m guessing it changed the texture of the cookie a little bit – while they were somewhat dense, they also fell apart rather easily. It also seemed to make the batter unworkably sticky, but thirty minutes in the fridge fixed that right up.
The flavour certainly didn’t suffer.

I will definitely be making these again!

Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

Mayan Chocolate Sparklers
Adapted from Under the High Chair
Makes about 5 dozen

TOPPING
½ cup granulated sugar 125 mL
1 tsp ground cinnamon 5 mL

COOKIES
¾ cup vegetable shortening 175 mL
½ cup unsalted butter, softened 125 mL
¾ cup granulated sugar 175 mL
¾ cup brown sugar, packed 175 mL
2 large eggs 2
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 5 mL
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 425 mL
1 ¼ cups cocoa powder 300 mL
1 tbsp ground cinnamon 15 mL
2 tsp baking soda 10 mL
¼ tsp salt 1 mL
¼ tsp ground black pepper 1 mL
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper 1
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 250 mL

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.

TOPPING
Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping.

COOKIES
1. Beat shortening, butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir in black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper.

3. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Roll in 1” (2.5 cm) balls, don’t flatten. Roll into cinnamon and sugar topping. Place on prepared cookie sheets, about 2” (5 cm) apart.

5. Bake 7-10 minutes. Cookies should still be soft in center. Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Remove, cool on wire rack.

Mayan Chocolate Sparklers