Seriously Good Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies

Folks, we have a hands down winner in the cookie department.  These are simply delish!  

As a subscriber to the brilliant Everyday food magazine, I am always amazed at all the new and exciting recipes Martha Stewart shares every month is this wee little publication.  The last page in this magazine is the Cookie Jar,  which of course is always filled with spectacular cookie recipes and great pictures to showcase them.  This particular chocolate delight was in the April 2010 issue, and I was so excited to give it a go.  

I made them twice...the first time I followed the recipe exactly.  Yummy they were, but I wanted a little more kick from the chili powder, and also wanted a deeper chocolate flavor.  So my second attempt, I added more cocoa powder and chili powder, and increased the sugar slightly to compensate for the additional cocoa powder.  The end results were oh so good.  

Thank you Martha, for yet another great cookie recipe to add to my very own Cookie Jar.  

Suggested Pairing:  A cold glass of milk would be perfect here!

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 32

This recipe has been slightly adapted.  See Martha's Recipe here.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp cream of tartar
pinch coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (I used salted butter, and added only a pinch of salt)
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp chili powder (optional)

Directions
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 (see note below), beat butter and 1 3/4 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 1/4 sugar, cinnamon, and chili powder (if using).  Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place about 3 inches apart, on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets.  Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Let cookies cool down on sheets on wire racks for about 5 minutes.  Then transfer cookies to the wire racks to cool completely.  (Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.)

Note: I used a hand mixer to combine the flour mixture into the butter mixture, as over mixing can result in dense and tough cookies.  

Enjoy!

The Infamous Neiman Marcus Cookie

The tale of this urban myth has been circulating for over 20 years, and has never been found to have a single bit of factual information. Legend has it that one day, a customer in the Neiman Marcus Cafe in the Dallas store so enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie for dessert that she asked for the recipe. A snippy waitress told her it was available for sale, and when asked the price, replied, "two-fifty." She was told to add the charge to the customer's bill. The tale continues that when the Visa statement came in the mail, the customer was surprised to see a charge of $250 for the recipe, and when she went to Neiman's customer service, was told, basically, "tough luck." So the customer sent the famous recipe to everyone she knew and asked them to do the same.

Neiman's says that they have never served these cookies in any of their restaurants. Neiman Marcus also does not accept Visa cards as payment in its stores and has a strict policy stipulating that a customer must sign his or her sales receipt prior to leaving a cafe or restaurant.

Because of all the hype this little cookie has generated, Neiman Marcus has come up with what they think is a better cookie recipe which you can find on their website.

After stumbling across the recipe time and time again, I had to give it a try to see if this infamous cookie was worth all the hype.

Guess what? They are! These cookies are so yummy, that even my hubby, who really isn't a cookie fan...loved them and an empty plate was all that was left.

The fleur de sel is not in the orignal recipe, but I love a salty sweet combo and couldn't resist.

Thank you Neiman Marcus for this seriously good cookie.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie
Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp good vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 tsps instant espresso coffee powder
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
enough fleur de sel to sprinkle over cookies

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter with the sugars, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

Using a 1-ounce scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough into a greased cookie sheet or silpat about inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2-inch circle. Sprinkle a litte fleur de sel over the cookies and bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Enjoy!

Coconut Macadamia Meltaways

Just a quick note to say that after a month and a half of visits with family and a bit of traveling, I am back to the blogging world and ready to share some yummy recipes.

Now onto this very decadent cookie recipe that is a must try! As the holidays fast approach like a speeding train, it seems that we are always searching for great recipes to bake up. I thought this was a perfect cookie recipe to add to your holiday baking list and share with one and all. If you love butter cookies, as well as macadamia nuts and coconut...this one is for you. You are sure to find this cookie to be a very delicate melt in your mouth goodness.

Coconut Macadamia Meltaways

Makes about 50 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra for dusting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 cups cake flour (all- purpose flour can be used, but I always find cake flour yields a more tender result)

Directions

Pulse macadamias and 1/4 cup of sugar in food processor until nuts are chopped fine (do not overprocess). Add coconut and continue to pulse until everything is finely ground.

Beat butter, vanilla and salt in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add the nut mixture and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat until creamy. Add flour and beat until a soft dough forms. Chill dough for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. With lightly floured hands (using powdered sugar), shape scant tablespoonfuls dough into balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. ( I always use a Silpat sheets for baking cookies). Bake for 16 minutes, or until tops are dry and set and bottoms are light brown.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Happy Baking!