OK so I am getting back into the video world with a very appropriate, prim and proper little video about cookies! Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles, to be exact. And I blather on about the Aztecs and autumn a bit in the video so I won’t overdo it here. But let me just say that they are one of my absolute favorites in the book, you probably already have all the ingredients, and I hope you make them!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Makes 2 dozen Cookies
A beautiful crackle topped chocolate cookie with a spicy cayenne kick and a sugary cinnamon coating. Sold?
For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.
Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
This is über malleable of a recipe.
My cocoa gems variation: increase salt to a 1/2 teaspoon, use olive oil instead of canola oil, use Special Dark cocoa (half natural, half Dutch process cocoa) or Dutch process cocoa. Brown sugar is used rather than white sugar. I leave out the cinnamon and cayenne. I add a teaspoon of instant espresso or a packet of Starbucks Via to the dough.
Topping: 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa..
I portion the dough with a 1 tablespoon dough scoop and freeze the portioned, coated dough.
Chocolate chocolate chip cookie variant: add a cup of chocolate chips to the cocoa gems dough. Do not coat with sugar mixture. I like to mix miniature chips, über dark chocolate chips together. Whatever your fave chips are work yummy.
Overall, your Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar is the best cookie book I’ve picked up ever. I’m fussy about my cookies. I’m going to pour a glass of cold something n enjoy a cocoa gem.
I don’t have milk nor baking soda.
Was so relieved to find this recipe on-line as I have lent your fab cookie book to a friend and was in desperate need of choccy goodness. As a lone vegan in a sea of hungry omnivore colleagues I am constantly surprising them with your amazing recipes and this was a real winner. (Peanut buttercream choc cupcakes did very well too!)
I made these the second time today and the first time was the morning of Thanksgiving, way early morning at 2 a.m.. I just want to give a big thanks. These cookies transported my soul and taste buds to a flavor world of happiness. You have no idea how elated I was and still am today after tasting the second batch. Thanks
These were WONDERFUL. I also made your Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles at the same time since the ingredients are similar. LOVED BOTH. Thank you SO much! I can tell you are as much of a foodie as I am! God bless you!
This was a fun recipe to make and a very nice rif on the spicy chocolate! I made one batch for my whimpy housemates using paprika instead of the cayenne, though personally the cayenne I’d like better. When I remake these I think I’ll include some mini soy chocolate chips since the chocolate extract seems to be a little hard to find where I live. The extra chocolate flavor would really make a difference! Also, I went ahead and chilled the dough for a little bit – even though it is oil based not margarine. I’m not sure if it really helped the baking but it did help less of it gunk up my fingers!
There are so yummy! I cut the cayenne in half because I was worried they’d be too spicy. I think they’re perfect with 1/4 tsp cayenne. Thanks! I will definitely be making these again.
BEWARE. THESE COOKIES ARE DANGEROUS.
Dangerously delicious.
I just ate literally ten. TEN. I don’t even want to KNOW how many calories of sugar I just inhaled. Although, it was worth it. They’re crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the chocolate with that little kick of cayenne works beautifully. The cinna-sugar just puts over the edge. And, cayenne supposedly speeds up your metabolism right? Eh? Well, that’s how I’m going to justify my mexican hot chocolate-y binge. Hahaha. Tastes SUPER good with some vegan egg nog, the perfect holiday cookie.
MAKE THESE COOKIES! But beware. It’s hard to eat just one.
Baked these for a Holiday cookie swap. First time I was trying something from your book. They turned out fantabulous, super easy to make ( I made 100!) and picture perfect. Folks couldn’t believe they were vegan! Now have all your books lining my bookshelf. Thanks for making Vegan baking such a treat!!
Made these earlier this afternoon. OMG. Amazing!
Just curious, could one substitute molasses for the maple syrup in the future???
I think the ultimate test for vegan food is whether or not it can pass for un-vegan. These cookies didn’t pass the test. I didn’t watch the video, but I followed the written directions perfectly. Instead of a cookie dough, I ended up with a moist powder. I had to add water and more canola oil to get any sort of pliable dough, and even then the texture came out cakey after baking. The cookies looked legit, but one bite and you could tell there was something weird about them. They were also relatively flavorless, so I think the ratio of flour to other ingredients is way too high. Vegans shouldn’t have to compromise on flavor or texture. Needless to say I will not be serving these to anyone!
I made these cookies for the first time a few weeks ago. They are absolutely delicious! I have been making a lot of the cookies from your Vegan Cookies Invade… cookbook and they all have been fabulous!! Your recipes are amazing!!! If anyone out there knows someone who is skeptical of vegan desserts, bake them any of Isa’s cookies and they’ll soon be converts!
I made these yesterday and my friend asked me if they contained crack. Sooooo delicious! And easy. And they looked exactly like the photo!
These are the best cookies ever! I follow the recipes and they come up perfect! And – as Janet’s friend said – be aware that they are HIGHLY addictive!
These are the best cookies ever! The spiciness really enhances the chocolate flavor. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Just took a batch out of the oven. Absolutely delicious! I think I’ll add a tad more cayenne next time — I’d love a bit more spice 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
these are my absolute most favorite cookie i have ever baked. half the time i bake cookies i make these. recipe as is is fantastic. they come out crackly on top but fantastically soft at 9 minutes in my oven. when i make these for kids or friends that dont like a kick i do a little less cayenne and a bit more cinnamon. delicious! highly recommend.
Just made them! Only after eating the first one did I realise that I had omitted the maple syrup. But they came out great (I mean, no one would notice, even though I’ll try them with it next time). Also, mine took 13,5 min to cook, but my oven always bakes on the cooler side. Oh, and I made only 15, so next time I’ll try to make more reasonably sized walnuts 😀 This one is a keeper, and as plus it takes NO time to assemble.
I have served these now at a wedding, a dinner party and tonight my Book Group, and they are always a total HIT!!! You Rock!
Ha, just don’t do like me: I accidentally used 90,000 heat unit cayenne pepper. They were still very good, but really gave your mouth a BIG kick at the end. Stick with the lower heat unit cayenne, unless you’re into that kind of spice. Made them a second time with lower heat and they were awesome.
these were fantastic! i baked some with a friend for valentine’s day and we split them up to take to our respective boyfriends. both of our boyfriends have dietary restrictions and we needed dairy-free, egg-free cookies, so these were perfect!
in fact- loved them so much i blogged about them. thanks for sharing all your great recipes!
http://culturecookies.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/what-a-kick/
Thank you!
I am typing this as the cookies are in the oven right now…they already smell fantastic and if they taste anything like the dough (which, yeah, I tasted already LOL) they will be a big hit. 🙂
APPROVED!
At first I wasnt sure about how much they would spread because the dough was kind of wet and wasnt staying in a ball form too well but I tested one in the oven and came out perfect!
Thanks!
These were a BIG hit with my entire family…thanks so much!
I tried to post, posting again! First, I made these cookies exactly to the recipe and they were EXTRAORDINARY! I literally ate 5 off the cooling rack (and I have much more of a salty than sweet tooth). Second, I always make your recipes that have the most comments because they’re clearly an indication of popularity! Is there an easier to scan through readers’ favorites? For everyone else, if you’re confused about whether you should make this or not, let me tell you… you’ll definitely put this one on your favorites list!!!
Yum. Yumyumyumyummmy yum!!!
Just made these for a second time this week. This time I used agave nectar in place of the maple syrup. Fantastic. I love these. Oh and I also used chocolate almond milk both times. Yum.
Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so
I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for rookie blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate
it.
Good lord these are good. I made them as a gift for a coworker and I had to try really hard not to eat them all myself. I was concerned at first about the lack of emulsifier like flax seed or whatever but that wasn’t an issue at all. The cookies are suuuuper chocolatey and chewy, and I can’t wait to make more.
This is my go-to crowd pleaser. I adore this recipe!
Wow. I made these for my partner’s mum for her birthday, along with your Gigantoid Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies. Both were a big hit with my partner, and he’s usually very shy of spicy food. I used 1/2 peanut oil for the oil which was lovely
Holy Smokes. Just made these. I’m a pretty avid baker and have wrestled with vegan dessert recipes for 10+ years. That, coupled with the desire for an ‘adult’ cookie and my family is familiar with my ‘experiments’. THESE COOKIES ARE DA BOMB:
1) Actually made 2.75 doz cookies. Recipes usually err on the generous, so these extra are now the baker’s property 🙂
2) SO SO easy and fun to make
3) Bite. Yup. They’re tasty. Not sure? Repeat.
4) VEGAN
Thanks for this delectable addition to our cookie jar.
Just made these… BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER MADE! 🙂
I served them to a party of non-vegan friends and they went down so well that I am having to print out recipe cards! Don’t worry, Isa, I will give them a link to your fabulous blog and encourage them to check it out!
Also, I had some extra cinnamon sugar left over so put it on homemade pancakes, mmmm! 😀
These were the most delicious cookies I’ve ever made, even better than those made in Olden Times [pre-Vegan/GF]. Had almost everything in the house; was v. happy to get such wonderful results even with the adjustments made!
flour –>pre-packaged coconut/cassava blend + potato starch and xanthan gum
canola oil –>safflower oil
1 cup sugar –> 3/4 C sugar
3 TB almond milk –> flax milk
1 tsp chocolate extract –> 1/2 bag of Enjoy Life chocolate chunks melted in a cup of strong dark roast coffee
and baking powder instead of baking soda. the comment thread tells me this is why there was no crackle//but it didn’t even matter. Especially loved the amount of cayenne you call for! it gives them a lovely, stealthy heat. Everything I’ve made from this website of yours is top-notch! Terrific recipes.
What is the nutrition info on these cookies?
I just found this recipe and these are wonderful!