If you've been keeping up with this site for a while, you know I'm a big fan of make ahead recipes. Whether it's planning for a breakfast casserole the night before or making chili a day before serving, not only is it a great way to save time later on, many dishes are actually quite a bit better a day or two after being prepared. And one of my all-time favorite make ahead ideas is making cookie dough balls and freezing them in a resealable freezer bag labeled with the name of the cookies, the temperature of the oven, and the baking time. Then, it's just a matter of preheating the oven when you want some cookies fresh from the oven!
These cookies boast the flavor of Mexican Hot Chocolate - think hot chocolate infused with cinnamon and cayenne - and take advantage of several baking tricks. The first is optional, but with egg prices still pretty high these days, it might appeal. For every 1 egg, simply substitute 3 tablespoons of the liquid you drain off a can of chickpeas. You can actually add it as is to save time, but I like to whip mine up a bit with an immersion blender fitted with a whisk attachment. The egg white-like result helps give you softer, fluffier cookies that don't spread as much while baking. For a cookie like this one, that is definitely a bonus!
The other trick to these cookies is using a boxed cake mix as the base of the recipe and adding some seasoning tweaks as well as some mini chocolate chips. You could skip the chocolate chips, but I love the little molten pools of chocolate amid a tender cookie crumb that's bursting with the flavors of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne. Now if that description isn't enough to get you ready to bake, I don't know what is. Oh, right. You could make some now and freeze the rest for warm, freshly baked cookies on demand!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
- 2 eggs or the liquid from one can of chickpeas - use the chickpeas for something else!
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil until foamy. Alternately, use a immersion blender or hand blender with the whisk attachment to whip the liquid from one can of chickpeas (there should be about 6 tablespoons of liquid) until it resembled whipped egg whites. Add the oil and mix until foamy.
Add the cake mix, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cayenne pepper, and chili powder; mix until combined. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir until they are fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Scoop out 2 teaspoon portions of the dough and form into little balls. At this point, you can place them on plates or plastic trays and freeze until solid. Place the frozen cookie dough balls in a resealable plastic freezer bag labeled with the name of the cookies, the temperature of the oven, and the recommended baking time. Store in the freezer and bake as desired. Use within 3 months.
When ready to bake, place the cookie dough balls spaced evenly on cookie sheet(s) lined with silicone baking mat(s).
Bake at 350° F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm but center is slightly soft. Cool and enjoy.
- Yields: 18 cookies
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus 20 minutes of chilling time