Chewy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

This is my most-requested recipe, no contest. These have the texture of a traditional chewy molasses cookie plus deep chocolate flavor, the warmth of cinnamon and a nice little heat from the cayenne pepper. You can mix it up in one or two bowls, no mixer needed. These are great for make-ahead and store and ship well.

Servings	Prep Time
30cookies	10minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
14minutes	1+hour

Servings	Prep Time
30cookies	10minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
14minutes	1+hour

Ingredients

12tablespoons buttermelted
1/2cup cocoa powderI prefer Nestle
2tablespoons molasses
1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
1cup sugar+1/2 c. for rolling
1large eggroom temperature
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/8-1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir the cocoa and molasses into the warm butter. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract to the large bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the wet. Cover and chill dough for as little as an hour or up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into balls (a #50 cookie scoop is great for this), and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are puffed, centers are set and they are beginning to form cracks. Do not overbake. Leave on sheets until they are cool enough to transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
If you want a slightly more substantial cookie, use a #30 cookie scoop, 2 tablespoons dough, for each cookie. You will need to add a minute or two to the bake time and the batch will make about 18 cookies instead of 30.