Hot Chocolate Cookies

And I mean hot.

I've seen suggestions to add a pinch of hot chili pepper to hot chocolate more than a few times. Apparently the spice of the chili will emphasize the sweetness of the chocolate much like a pinch of salt can. The suggestion has been attributed to Mexican and other central and south American cuisines and I've been craving tacos like crazy lately. No, nothing related between the taco cravings and the chocolate-chili, it's just that I've been craving tacos and the mere mention of Mexican food makes me want to run down the street to the much too convenient little Mexican place and get 3 tacos for 5 bucks.

I've been limiting myself to 3 tacos a week. Otherwise, I think I'd be eating there every night.

But this post isn't about tacos (I want tacos). It's about summer-themed cookies.

How is hot chocolate summer themed? It's summer, and it's hot. And I want chocolate.

And since I'm inherently lazy I figured that rather than come up with a whole new recipe, I'd just modify an existing one. So I started with snickerdoodles. And you've got two choices to use as your base: my snickerdoodle recipe or Taneasha's snickerdoodle recipe. Both are awesome. Need moar snickerdoodles!

Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 1 c butter
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 c flour
• 1/2 c cocoa
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• cinnamon sugar

Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature. If they're not, use one of Taneasha's awesome tips to fix that. Also, melt the chocolate. One minute and 30 seconds at 50% power, and then stir until it's smooth.

Cream the butter and sugar until they're fluffy and golden, and then stir in the chocolate.

 Beat in the eggs and vanilla until you have something resembling a soft buttercream icing.

In another bowl (yes, I used a second bowl, but I had an apprentice here to help me with the dishes;

and she also brought me herbs from her garden!!) stir together the flour, cocoa, cayenne, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Since my apprentice is still working on the whole technique thing, she spooned the flour into the measuring cup and then levelled it with a knife.

Don't forget to sift the cocoa to get all the lumps out.

And yes, I'm serious, we are really putting cayenne in cookies.

Mix the dry into the chocolatey-buttery stuff. We did it in about three parts.

The dough should be soft and a little bit sticky.

You should be able to form it into a ball with only minimal amounts sticking to your fingers.

Give it a few minutes in the fridge if it feels too soft. It's better to chill the dough than to add extra flour; the cookies will be crumbly, rather than crispy-chewy if you have too much flour. You can wrap the dough and leave it in there for a day if you're planning ahead, but if you do, give it at least 30 minutes on the counter. If it's too cold, you'll need to put a lot of work into rolling the dough into balls, and since cookies are technically a pastry, you want to touch them as little as possible.

Cold balls plus too much handling equals tough cookies.

Preheat the oven now! 350.

Bust off a piece of dough about the size of a cherry.

Gently roll it into a ball, and then drop that ball into a small dish of cinnamon sugar.

Jiggle the dish and roll the ball around until it's completely covered.

Once you've done that a dozen times, and have a dozen sugary balls on a parchment covered sheet, bake them for 8 minutes.

Keep an eye on them. It's tough to tell when these things are overdone because the chocolate is so dark, but you'll definitely taste it if they are. Err on the side of underdone. Use a timer!

I was hopeful that these would work and holy crap did they ever! Chocolate chili cookies are total win. They aren't "hot" and spicy the way a savoury food is hot. They have their own shiney little bite. But it's a transient and sparkly feeling in your mouth. Like the sparks off a campfire: bright and a little bit burny, but they don't linger.

And with the sugar on the outside of them, they even look a little sparkly!

Perfect with an iced coffee!

What do you like to have hot in the summer??

Yogurt Parfaits - Make Ahead Breakfast

This post definitely qualifies more as a tip than a proper recipe since you don’t have to actually make anything.  We’re way overdue for a tip, though, and with it being a holiday weekend for Americans, it seemed the perfect time for one.  Besides, these yogurt parfaits make an instant, and even portable breakfast, that is absolutely fabulous.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Yogurt
• Frozen Berries
• Granola

You’ll also need containers.  I bought these jars specifically for this purpose.  I wanted something glass, with lids, that I could keep in the fridge on a regular basis without them being needed for something else.  They’re very high quality and the perfect size and shape.

One of the most important things about a yogurt parfait is the consistency of the yogurt itself.  The secret of getting it perfect is using a combination of regular and Greek yogurt.  My favorite is Trader Joe’s nonfat, vanilla at about a 2 parts regular to 1 part Greek ratio. 

Pour the regular yogurt into a bowl. 

Add the thick, Greek stuff.

Then stir them together until it’s nice and smooth. 

In the bottom of each jar, put a layer of blueberries.

Then a layer of raspberries.

And then the strawberries.  I like to quarter them before adding them. 

Spoon yogurt over the top. 

I use about ¾ cup in each one. 

Put them into the fridge overnight for the berries to thaw.  When you’re ready for breakfast, simply pull one out and pour some granola over the top. 

The berries give off their juice as they thaw, so if you stir it all together, the yogurt will turn a beautiful pink color.  You can use this same method with any kind of frozen fruit, so be creative and use whatever is your favorite.  I’m sure it would be fabulous with peaches, cherries, or even mango.  No matter what you use, make 3 or 4 of them at a time, and you’ll have delicious and hearty breakfast just waiting for you when you wake up.