If you like the combination of chocolate and chiles, these chocolate and ancho chile crinkle cookies have your name all over them! I love my food spicy so I did not hold back on the chile for this recipe, although to me, they have the perfect level of flavor, heat and chocolate. I use two types of chile here: cayenne for the heat and ancho for more of a dried chile flavor that has a lovely subtle hint of dried fruit. You could just use cayenne if you can’t find ancho chile, but I really recommend seeking it out. The combination of ancho chile with bittersweet chocolate is just fantastic and so unique– perfect for any holiday cookie party!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup all purpose flour (5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (1 1/2 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chili
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed) (10 1/2 ounces)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (2 ounces)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 325 with the rack in the middle. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, cayenne, ground ancho chile, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
- Whisk brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in a bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally until melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until there are no dry streaks. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Place granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in separate shallow dishes. Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Drop dough balls directly into the granulated sugar and roll to coat. Then roll in confectioners' sugar evenly to coat. Evenly space dough onto the baking sheets.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are soft, about 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a sheet before serving.
NOTES
When you roll the cookies, the dough may be a bit too sticky and hard to roll without sticking to your hands. If that happens, make sure you have let the dough rest for the 10 minutes. If it is still too sticky, put the dough in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes and they will be easier to roll.(images by HonestlyYUM)
Dear Karen,
my short comment: Sensational!!
My long comment: I followed the recommendation to chill the dough before making balls and in addition I used an ice cream scoop to form the balls – worked great!!
Best Regards from Munich, Germany
I found a very similar recipe but it also called for a special cinnamon. Was excellent, but lost the recipe. Have you ever put cinnamon in withthe ancho chili?
About how many cookies does this recipe make?
All i have to say is WOW! My sister in-law brought these to my house and had never made them before so she was a bit nervous. We can’t stop eating them! I don’t know whether to be angry i’m eating all these cookies or elated that I’m having an out of body experience! they are a Grand Slam.
So glad you love them! It’s a great dilemma to have 😉
Made the Chile chocolate crinkle cookies today with a few adjustments and LOVED them. Here’s what I changed: 1. Doubled the vanilla and the salt (because who doesn’t love chocolate + salt?!)
2. Refrigerated the dough for 10 min before rolling it into balls instead of leaving it at room temperature. This made a huge difference! First I tried it at room temp (as recipe recommends) and it was sticky and hard to work with. Then I refrigerated it and after that it was easy to work with and easy to roll into a smooth ball without my hands turning into a sticky mess.
3. After rolling the dough in both the sugars and placing it on the baking sheet I also sprinkled sea salt on it to up the salty yum factor.
Love the addition of salt! Agree that chocolate and salt are way better together. Yes, I should’ve mentioned that the dough can be sticky and a bit hard to work with but popping it in the fridge definitely helps! I’ll add that note to the recipe. Glad you loved it!
What an anazing combo. These look amazing and so does the presentation. Wow
Thanks Naomi!!
They look so unique and delicious. Need to try for sure
Love spicy chocolate ! Thank you for this idea !
Yum! I just made these and they are so unique, moist, and delicious. I was super nervous that I messed up the dough before I left it for 10 minutes because it looked WAY MORE like batter than dough. But lo and behold, I checked back after 10 minutes and it had transformed! It was still sticky and a bit tricky to roll, but it totallly worked out.
Thank you for a special new holiday recipe, and a wonderful, beautiful blog.
Thanks Danielle, I’m glad you liked them!!