Mexican Chocolate Cookies

For Cinco de Mayo, I got all our recipes off of here. Couldn't help it; everything looked scrumptious and utterly appealing... Actually, as we were planning our Cinco de Mayo din-din, I wanted something easy for dessert and recall having seen this cookie recipe in the Everday Food magazine but was torn in half because it also seemed like another boring ol' chocolate cookie with nothing too enthralling about it. Well, first off, that will teach me to judge a recipe by its cover!!! Secondly, I was humbly reminded after the fact that nothing, absolutely nothing chocolate-related can ever be boring. Finally, these little guys are fantastic tasting- and not only do they not require any fancy ingredients, but they are soft, chewy, and have a slight punch.

We ate this (using dried chorizo) meal with a variety of topping options, i.e., homemade pico, guac, sour cream, and salsa verde, with this as our salad. Really, maybe I was just starving, maybe it was baby, but the combination of everything together, with these cookies as a finale, positively hit every taste bud in my mouth with song.

Well. Enjoy your Saturday as well as the month of May. A beautiful month it is indeed. Ciao!

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

{Everday Food April 2010}

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon chile powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. 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.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder (if using). Using heaping tablespoons, 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 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)