Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, Aztec Style
If you’ve never had spicy chocolate before, you’re in for a treat. The addition of cayenne, cinnamon and allspice to these shortbread cookies really adds depth to the chocolate. I added dried cranberries and roasted cacao nibs as well for texture and a slight burst of sweet tartness but those two additions are completely optional. Temper the heat by reducing the cayenne to 1/8 teaspoon if you want something with more mild, or increase the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon if you really want to give it a little kick but I found the 1/4 teaspoon the sweet spot (pun intended).
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
What these numbers assume — 10 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g or 2 sticks) butter
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 3/4 cup (245 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (35 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/2 cup (65 g) dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup (30 g) roasted cacao nibs
- Extra white granulated sugar to coat