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Salted Chocolate Diablo Cookies

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Grab your measuring cups, spoons, and sexy apron ’cause we about to get dirty in this kitchen. Dark chocolate with a hint of ginger, cayenne and chipotle, a drop of vanilla, laced with cinnamon and sprinkled with sea salt. There’s almost nothing else to say. These cookies are muy calientes.  They are the kind of cookies that bring back the pleasure in being alive by highlighting the spectre of your own mortality. They are a nod to your darkest needs and desires. The smooth and potent chocolate is astonishingly delicious, leaving the flame of the peppers in its wake, tempered only lightly by cinnamon.  This is an elevated, complex and sophisticated Mexican-inspired version of milk and cookies.

As a North American, specifically a New York City dweller, it is obvious the way in which our city is inexorably, deeply involved with Mexico for all of its good and bad. Mexico is a beautiful place with a distinct culture and landscape. It is also deeply marred and propelled forward by its tragic, elegant, violent, and heartbreaking history. I plan to make my way there in December. Finally. I’ve got my ticket in hand. These cookies (and possibly my next couple of recipes) are a tip of my sombrero to our cousin in the South and to giving in to the darker side in a way that won’t hurt anyone or anything, but your waistline.1-DSC_0456-001

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Adapted from The Artful Desperado by way of Taco Fino Food Truck.

Salted Chocolate Diablo Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • Sea salt

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Directions:

Preheat the oven at 375F. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cayenne and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir in chocolate chunks.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and add both sugars, oil, grated ginger, and vanilla and gently mix. Slowly add this wet mix to the dry one (flour cocoa mixture) until you form the cookie dough. NOTE: It may seem a bit dry, but not to worry it’ll get moist.

Form small dough balls (size of a golf ball-ish) and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon pad. Press them down a little and sprinkle a bit of sea salt.

Bake cookies for about 10-13 minutes until they start to crack. Center should be fudgy so don’t over bake! Buen provecho!ingredients.jpg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Darya

    These look quite incredible, Amanda. I am sure I would love the spiciness (Pierre wouldn’t 🙁 ) and the hint of cinnamon and chocolate! I love cookies that are warm from the oven and still soft, especially when there is chocolate involved. And I’m so glad you have finally decided where you want to travel; it is going to be a wonderful trip, I am sure. I hope you are doing well!

    • Amanda

      Thanks, Darya. I’ve missed you. Actually, in two weeks my brother and I are going to Florida, but I had to wait until next year to get to Mexico. I won’t survive another winter like this without going somewhere warm. It has been far too long even though the weather is so lovely now. We need to catch up, my friend!

  4. Liz

    ¡Ay, caramba! I saw a similar recipe on a Cooking Channel show a few years back and bookmarked the recipe, but never made them. You’re giving me a second chance, Amanda 🙂 Thanks! Love the idea of all of these flavors playing together.

    • Amanda

      Oh great! I think we should take your marshmallows and put them on a bed of these. We might just die of wonderfulness. If you like spice and chocolate..these are seriously the best cookies ever.

  6. David

    Yum. What a fantastic combination of flavors — spicy, salty and sweet. Chilies and chocolate belong together. I shall be making these.

    • Amanda

      You will LOVE these. They’re right up your alley and very easy to make. Just don’t forget the canola oil like i did the first time. But this is a serious cookie.

  7. tinywhitecottage

    Holy smokes. You’re right. I have a sizable sense of urgency to get up and leave the office right now, gather the chipotle pepper from the market and head home. This is truly a love cookie! Mmmm… the fudgy center, and nice contrast of color with the red nail polish. 🙂 I had to scroll through your photographs over and over…gorgeous Amanda! I’ll make them for sure…maybe tonight. That is powder chipotle..right?

    • Amanda

      Yes, use powdered chipotle. You’re going to love these! Heavenly. Thanks so much for your kind compliments 🙂

    • Amanda

      I know that by reading your beautiful blog. Boy do I have done treats for you coming up. My jalapeño finger tips are burning as I type. Why oh why don’t I wear gloves?

  10. Cheesy Biscuit

    Man. These look toooooo good. Excellent with an afternoon macchiato. I know next to nothing of Mexican cuisine, but I’m liking what I’m seeing every so often over here on your page!

  12. tinywhitecottage

    We made them last night! These are the best cookies I have ever eaten. You described them so perfectly too. I loved how the outer part was sort of like a very thin shell and once they cooled the heat came through a little more (which I love). You are not going to believe this. While my husband and I were eating these (in between oohs and awws) I raved about how there is no oil or butter in the cookies, then it hit me! I ran over and looked at your recipe again and sure enough, I left the oil out and they are still fantastic! Perhaps that explains the crunchy outer part…which I love! 🙂

    • Amanda

      That is hilarious!!! I left out the oil too the first time and I still loved them. You can put them on ice cream too. I am sooooo glad you did this! They really are unbelievably delicious, right? I can’t stop eating them. They definitely tasted better cooler. It’s kind of unbelievable how they really are the best cookies in the world. I love that you agree! You made my day!! It’s hard to describe the wonderfulness of all the spices and fresh ginger with the chocolate. So so glad you both loved them.

      • tinywhitecottage

        That’s so funny! We are having our neighbors over for some spicy Mexican in a few days and I’ll make these for dessert and put them on ice cream. I think this is going to bake these a lot! I’ll just keep offering to bring dessert when we go to our friends for dinners. 🙂 Oh and you should have seen how happy my 16 year old son was when he ate them too! They were still melted in the middle and he came home from football practice and had 3 or them with a tall glass of milk. Can you imagine?

        • Amanda

          Perfect! I think I’ll do the same. I actually made these to go to a friend’s house. I had them last night after a Mexican stew I made (post to come). I can’t wait to see what you’re having for dinner. I am so happy you see what I see in these. It’s kind of hard to get across in writing just how ridiculously good something is. You hope that looking at the ingredients, people can imagine, but you really can’t until you try it. So lovely. I was thinking about your last post last night. Next time I grill I’m going for chicken thighs.

  14. Michelle

    I’m not even a chocolate lover, but I want to run out to the store for the ingredients and make these right now. (Well, actually all I’m missing is some good dark chocolate.)

    • Amanda

      Thanks, Michelle. There are enough flakes in these that even someone who doesn’t love chocolate will enjoy them. So yum.

  15. Sofia // Papaya Pieces

    Qué buenos! Look at that chocolate oozing out! Ok to tell you the truth I don’t like dark chocolate on it’s own, but with combined with all those other magical ingredients I would definitely enjoy this. Que pases un buen fin de semana xx

  17. Johnnysenough

    If Seana’s (TWC) raving about these then I’ve got to make them. They do sound like crackle cookies loaded with spices. I liked those, and I love spices! So I’m sure to devour these. Now to try and figure the cup measurements. Hmm, and no share buttons! Bookmarked, then.

    • Amanda

      Ahh sorry about the no metric system thing. The share buttons are on the bottom if you click into the post. Enjoy. I hope you love them. You are an amazing baker.

      • Johnnysenough

        Au contraire. You must have the share buttons switched off for this post. I’ve found them by going through your comment via the grey bar at top. And don’t apologise! I’ll figure the measurements. Or buy metric cups. I already have a measuring jug with every single possible measurement there is. Hmm, does that make me a nerd?!

        • Amanda

          Total nerd! Thanks, Johnny. If only I were more tech savvy. I’ll look into it. Tonight I was enraged. I went out to a restaurant and any one of us could have cooked better. My husband had to stop me from going into the kitchen or behind the bar and asking what they were thinking!

  18. Cheesy Biscuit

    I made these this morning. Well, not quite these, but almost. Thanks for sharing this recipe, because I’m pretty sure it’s going to become a new favourite in our kitchen. Sadly, I didn’t quite do them the justice they deserved. Almost, but not quite – no goo in mine, and I’m all about the goo in such things!

    • Amanda

      Oh cool! I missed the goo the first time because I forgot the oil but the flavor was still so good. I may have to do it again today! They really are so good. So glad you made them. Try again!

  22. tinywhitecottage

    Oh, and BTW, I’m making these again!! We are going to a dear friends for Thanksgiving and I’m taking a batch of these for their son who is home visiting from college…I used to take him brownies all the time. These are like grown up brownies…aren’t they?

    • Amanda

      Oh nice! I was just thinking about these too. They’re one of my favorite things to make and I haven’t done it since last year. I kick with the chocolate makes them kind of heavenly…or del diablo 🙂 I haven’t decided what to bring to my mother in law’s yet. I’ll probably go with a loaf of bread. But I won’t get a chance to let it sit in the fridge. Still good though. I’m still stuck at work!

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