Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Soft and chewy, these Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies strike the perfect balance of rich chocolate and a kick of spice. Enjoy with a big glass of milk or cozy hot cocoa.
If you love chocolate cookies, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Big Chocolate Cookie, Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookies (Homemade Tagalongs), Eggless Cosmic Brownie Cookies, or Eggless Chocolate Strawberry Cookies.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Makes: 12 cookies
- Main Ingredients: salted butter, dark brown sugar, Dutch cocoa, powdered sugar
- Flavor Profile: lightly spicy, rich chocolatey
- Dietary Info: no seed oils, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: soft, chewy, fudgy spicy chocolate cookies with a kick
Summarize & Save This Content On
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: These Mexican chocolate crinkle cookies use Dutch cocoa powder combined with dark brown sugar for a rich chocolate flavor in every bite.
- Perfectly Spiced: I use a mixture of cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and nutmeg. This combination creates a subtle kick as well as a warm and comforting spice.
- Soft and Chewy: These spiced chocolate cookies are soft with chewy centers. I add an extra egg yolk which makes these cookies extra chewy.
This recipe is a collaboration with my favorite cocoa company, NuNaturals for the holiday season! I have been using their organic Dutch cocoa powder forever and it’s my favorite! You can use code MIMI for 10% off your order.
If you are looking for more rich chocolate recipes that use this cocoa powder, check out some of my other favorites! Try Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Brownies, Eggless Chocolate Strawberry Cookies, Big Chocolate Cookie, Chewy Chocolate Espresso Cookies and my all time faves Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies.
Ingredients
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar in this recipe for the cookies and also for rolling.
- Dark Brown Sugar: I use my Homemade Dark Brown Sugar, but store bought also works.
- Cocoa Powder: I use NuNaturals Organic Dutch Cocoa Powder for a rich, dark chocolate flavor. Don't use unsweetened cocoa powder as you want the sweetness of the cocoa to balance out the spicy flavors.
- Baking Powder: I use baking powder in these cookies. For more info on leavening agents, be sure to read my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
- Spices: I use a mix of cozy spices and Mexican spices. I use organic ground cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, and cayenne pepper for a beautiful balance of cozy and spice.
- Vanilla Bean: I use organic ground vanilla bean in place of pure vanilla extract as I love how it pairs with chocolate. But, if you want to use vanilla extract, you can do that too.
- Powdered Sugar: You’ll need organic powdered sugar for rolling the cookie dough in for the iconic crinkle cookie.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker’s Tips for Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- I'm using my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a hand mixer, you can do that.
- Make sure your butter is soft. I like to leave it out at room temperature for a while to let it soften naturally. You can even do this overnight in the winter weather.
- Using parchment paper really helps when baking cookies, I highly recommend it.
- Round out cookies by placing a cookie cutter or glass over the top of the cookies and rounding them for perfectly round cookies.
- Make sure to store in an airtight container.
- Gluten Free — Replace the flour with 226 grams (scant 1 ½ cups) gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude — Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until cracked and dry around the edges.
How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and dark brown sugar.
- Mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk.
- In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder, sea salt, vanilla bean, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and nutmeg and whisk together. Add to the butter mixture.
- Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
- In a small bowl, add the cane sugar for the topping. And in a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar for topping. Using your hands, form the dough into 12 balls and roll them in the cane sugar first.
- Then roll in the powdered sugar.
- Place on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them at least 1-inch apart. You'll have 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until cracked and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Hot Chocolate Pairings
Try these Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with a cozy hot cocoa! Try with some of my favorites like Coconut Hot Chocolate, Creamy Dark Hot Chocolate With Homemade Whipped Cream, Boozy Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate, or Chai Tea Hot Chocolate.
They also make a great dipping cookie for Easy Hot Chocolate Dip!
Recipe FAQ’s
I wouldn't say these are spicy, but they have a kick. The combination of spicy with cozy, combined with rich chocolate strikes a perfect balance for those who like a little kick.
You can reduce the amount of chili powder and cayenne if you like.
The spices combined with chocolate make these taste like Mexican hot chocolate. A little cozy spice combined with rich cocoa and a slight kick makes these cookies reminiscent of Mexican hot cocoa.
No, don't use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch. Natural cocoa will be less sweet and more bitter and we already have the savory spices, so we want that extra richness that Dutch cocoa provides.
Roll the cookie dough in cane sugar first, then in powdered sugar. Doing this creates a barrier so the powdered sugar doesn't just melt into the cookie dough as it bakes. This is what gives you the perfect crinkle!
If your dough is sticky, feel free to pop it in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. This will make it easier to handle. Or, you can also add in a little extra flour, as eggs can vary in size and if your eggs are a bit larger, they can contribute to a sticker dough. Start with 28 grams of flour and see how it is.
If you skipped rolling them in cane sugar first and only rolled in powdered sugar, then the powdered sugar will melt into the cookies and not show the iconic cracks on top.
This can happen from too much flour or over mixing the dough as more gluten can develop. Be sure to measure ingredients using a digital food scale and don't overmix.
Store in an airtight container so they stay soft and chewy. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months as well.
I wouldn't recommend freezing this cookie dough because the cookie dough needs to be soft and somewhat sticky for the cane sugar and powdered sugar to stick to for the crinkle effect. So, freezing the dough is not ideal as it will be difficult to get the sugars to stick after the dough has been frozen.
More Cozy Cookie Recipes
We Love Organic Feedback!
Thanks a waffle lot for stopping by 🧇 If you loved this recipe, sprinkle some love by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review — it really helps me organically reach dog loving foodies like you! I personally read and appreciate every message!
Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and join John John and me in the kitchen for step by step recipe videos! And subscribe to our newsletter for new and seasonal recipes!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams cane sugar
- 113 grams dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 212 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams Dutch cocoa powder (sifted)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 71 grams powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and dark brown sugar. Mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter. Add the eggs and egg yolk.
- In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder, sea salt, vanilla bean, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and nutmeg and whisk together. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
- In a small bowl, add the cane sugar for the topping. And in a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar for topping.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 12 balls and roll them in the cane sugar first, then in the powdered sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them at least 1-inch apart. You'll have 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until cracked and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- I'm using my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a hand mixer, you can do that.
- Make sure your butter is soft. I like to leave it out at room temperature for a while to let it soften naturally. You can even do this overnight in the winter weather.
- Using parchment paper really helps when baking cookies, I highly recommend it.
- Round out cookies by placing a cookie cutter or glass over the top of the cookies and rounding them for perfectly round cookies.
- Make sure to store in an airtight container.
- Gluten Free — Replace the flour with 226 grams (scant 1 ½ cups) gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude — Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until cracked and dry around the edges.
Nutrition
The Bake Shop
Visit The Bake Shop for foodie inspired tees, sweatshirts, and accessories. Find my favorite kitchen tools (with discounts!) in the Kitchen Shop. And shop our collection of food inspired dog accessories too!
These strike a beautiful balance of cozy spices and rich chocolate!