Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Mike and I hosted a vegan cooking class this week featuring peppers and mushrooms! He has been really into smoking foods on a stove instead of the hassle of a grill and made smoked portabella stroganoff. I made spicy Mexican hot chocolate cookies and strawberry habanero vinaigrette.
I am pretty sensitive to spicy foods, and don't necessarily like my mouth being on fire...but recently I've been eating lots of pickled jalapeños and tofu smothered in buffalo sauce. In fact, when I was on tour in October, we played a show at an old Funeral home turned punk house in Buffalo, NY. The other band we were on tour with really wanted to eat at the restaurant where Buffalo sauce originated, and since they had nothinnnnnng for us vegans to eat, my bass player, Calum, and I went to a Lebanese restaurant down the street. It was called Amy's Place, and we were ecstatic to discover they had VEGAN buffalo wings!!!! Soooo, Calum and I also had the satisfaction of eatin buffalo sauce in Buffalo, NY. The other guys said they didn't really enjoy the food they ate, and all passed out in a food coma, while Calum and I were happily full.

So, this cookie recipe is actually more of a brownie recipe in the sense that I use canola oil, instead of margarine, and add soymylk as well. The cayenne is not overbearing, so the heat is only an after taste in the back of your throat. Add an additional 1/4 tsp, if you want it a little more brutal. Though I made these as cookies, this recipe would work very well as a brownie recipe when put into a brownie pan, and baked for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Also, it's a great double chocolate "brookie" ( brownie cookie!!!) without the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add pecans, walnuts, almonds, coconut, carob chips, or whatever you'd like to change it up. This recipe is very versatile.
One more thing, this recipe makes 2 dozen large cookies...and by that I mean the size I sell them for at $2 a piece at the restaurant. If you are making small cookies, you may want to cut this recipe in half.

Listen to: Lily Allen "Alright, Still"... She's sweet and spicy too!!!!

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 TBSP. ground Flaxseed
1 cups Soymylk
2 cups granulated Sugar
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 TBSP. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Canola Oil
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBSP. Cinnamon
1 cup vegan Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small bowl, combine flaxseed and soymylk. Whisk well, set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, and cocoa. Mix thoroughly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, canola oil, and flaxseed mixture. Use an electric hand mixer to completely combine ingredients. There should be no oil separated. This may take a minute to achieve.
Pour half of your flour mixture into your sugar mixture and use your hands to squeeze and combine.
Add the other half, and squeeze and mix until it becomes a thick cookie dough that pulls away from the bowl. Fold in 2 cups chocolate chips.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out cookies 2 inches apart on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten them to 1/3 inch thick using the palm of your hand. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving, which gives them time to harden up.