Mexican Chocolate Cookies (Gluten & Dairy-free)

I love chilli and chocolate! I feel it's a flavour combination common in Mexico and South America. But we Europeans still haven't fully embraced it. We like to avoid anything spicy with our chocolate. Even my partner was fearful when I first told him I was developing a gluten and dairy-free chilli chocolate cookie recipe. But after the initial surprise of chilli and the new flavour profile, he soon fell in love with this combination. Whether you opt to lower the intensity of the spice or ramp it up. I am confident that after you try this chilli chocolate cookie recipe. You will also fall in love with this flavour combo.

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Why make this gluten and dairy-free Mexican chocolate cookie?

To warm you up on an autumn evening. To create a grown-up twist to a classic chocolate cookie. Or to travel the culinary world through flavour combinations. These are just a few reasons why learning this Mexican chocolate cookie recipe is a good thing. Also, if you're eating gluten and dairy-free. You're probably tired of eating the same chocolate chip cookie or chocolate brownie. That you want something a bit more exciting to tantalise you're taste buds. This recipe promises to do just that. Giving you a flavour explosion that you can't buy from the store.

Ingredients you'll need

I always recommend using the best quality ingredients and sustainably sourced when possible. Also, if this is your first time cooking gluten-free for someone with Coeliac disease, I always recommend checking the ingredients label before using because Gluten can sneak into recipes when you least expect it. Below is each ingredient you will need:

• Dairy-free butter - You'll need a vegan block butter in this recipe as it's solid at room temperature. If you tried to use oil instead it would make the cookie dough too wet. Luckily enough, there are tons of dairy-free/vegan block butter's on the market these days. I tend to either use Stork Block butter or Naturli Vegan block, the latter is my preferred due to being less processed.

• Brown sugar - I prefer to use brown sugar in this recipe as the rich molasses flavour compliments the heat from the cayenne pepper and the richness of the cocoa powder. You can alternatively use white granulated or caster sugar, but this swap can cause the cookie to cook a minute faster and taste a little sweeter.

• Egg - I only cook with organic free-range eggs. However, I am conscious that cooking gluten-free is already very expensive, so any quality egg will do. The egg quality won't change the flavour of these cookies.

• Vanilla extract - Use a good quality vanilla extra in this recipe as you want a flavour to compliment the cinnamon. Don't use a vanilla flavouring or essence as this won't deliver the same complex flavour. Also, vanilla flavourings and essences might need different measuring sizes.

• Gluten-free flour - I tend to only ever cook with a gluten-free plain flour blend from Doves Farm FREEE foods. The blend contains rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, maize flour and buckwheat flour. You could experiment with using alternative brands for gluten-free plain flour or using your own gluten flour plain flour blend by recipe but results may vary.

• Cocoa powder - I only ever cook with natural cocoa powder. You could experiment with using Dutch-processed cocoa powder. However, the overall finished cookies might differ from this recipe.

• Xanthan gum - Depending on the gluten-free flour blend you use you might want to omit the xanthan gum or reduce the amount. It's typically needed to give the cookie dough its structure replacing the need for gluten and making it easier to work with.

• Bicarbonate of soda - When combined with liquid bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will release gas, helping to create light and airy cookies. Just remember to space the cookies out as the bicarbonate of soda will also cause them to spread out, and if they are too close, they will stick to each other.

• Salt - Table salt is all you need. Don't be afraid of adding salt to your baked goods, as salt helps enhance flavours.

• Ground cinnamon - You will want to use ground cinnamon here. The newer a jar of ground cinnamon, the better the flavour, as it will deteriorate over time. But don't worry if you have an old jar of cinnamon as these cookies will still taste delicious.

• Ground cayenne pepper - You can't leave this ingredient out. It's what makes these cookies 'Mexican'. Without the cayenne pepper, you won't get the fiery heat that makes them unique and delicious. You can use 1/4 tsp instead of a heaped 1/2 tsp if you'd prefer to taper down the heat.

• Demerara sugar - This will create the beautiful molten texture and appearance of the finalised cookies. You can use white granulated sugar as this will also create a similar effect.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question you want to ask that isn't in the frequently asked questions section, please send me your question or drop a comment at the bottom of the recipe. I try to answer every question, ensuring you create perfect recipes every time.

Can I make this Mexican chocolate cookie recipe gluten-free?

As someone with Coeliac disease, all my recipes are 100% gluten-free. Although you can easily trick gluten eaters into thinking it's not gluten-free with how delicious these Mexican cookies taste.

With this in mind do be cautious of cross-contamination if your household kitchen isn't 100% gluten-free and you are cooking for someone with Coeliac disease. As well as checking all the labels of the ingredients you use in this recipe. This is especially the case when using bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) which sometimes isn't free from cross-contamination due to being packaged in factories that handle wheat, barley, and rye.

Can I make this Mexican chocolate cookie recipe dairy-free?

Nearly all of my recipes are dairy-free due to feeling better not eating dairy. Plus, my partner is lactose intolerant. So, I like to ensure my recipes are dairy-free for him! This recipe achieves this by using vegan block butter as its source of fat. Whereas in a typical cookie recipe, dairy butter would be used. Some dairy-free recipes call for using oil as its fat source, but I would advise against this for this cookie recipe. As it will prevent the cookie batter from hardening when cool. As with all allergens, if you are cooking for someone with an allergy or intolerance, be cautious of cross-contamination.

Can I make this Mexican chocolate cookie recipe vegan?

This Mexican chocolate cookie recipe isn't vegan due to using an egg as a binding ingredient. There are vegan egg replacements on the market where you can substitute the egg at a 1:1 ratio. However, I haven't tried making these gluten-free Mexican chocolate cookies using this method. As gluten isn't used in this recipe, the egg helps to keep structure in the cookie. Omitting it for a vegan egg replacement might cause changes to the finalised cookie. If you decide to proceed with making them vegan. I recommend doing so with caution. Also, I would love to hear about your results, so please share in the comments.

How do I store these Mexican chocolate cookies?

To keep them fresh, I recommend storing the cooked gluten and dairy-free Mexican chocolate cookies in an air-tight container for up to three days. You can keep the raw cookie dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.

Can I freeze these Mexican chocolate cookies?

You can freeze the raw cookie dough for up to a month in the freezer. I'd suggest freezing after the cookies have been coated in the cinnamon sugar as round balls. You can then take them straight out of the freezer and put them into a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. You can also freeze the frozen cookies for up to three months. Defrost them overnight before eating. Or alternatively, pop in the microwave on the defrost setting for 1 minute.

Recipe

Here's my recipe for these spicy Mexican chocolate cookies that are 100% gluten and dairy-free!

Serving: Approximately 20 cookies

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 12-14 minutes

Ingredients

• 110g vegan block butter (room temperature)

• 300g brown sugar

• 190g gluten-free plain white flour

• 50g cocoa powder

• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if blend already has it)

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 - 1/2 heaped tsp cayenne pepper

• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 50 demerara sugar

Method

1. Mix the brown sugar and vegan block butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low until light and fluffy.

2. In a separate bowl, weigh and mix the dry ingredients together; gluten-free plain flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cayenne pepper, and only 2 tsp ground cinnamon.

3. Next, add the 2 tsp of vanilla extra and the egg into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until creamy and combined.

4. Next, pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and mix into the wet ingredients on low until there are no more dry spots. You might need to use a spatula towards the end of mixing to ensure the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, but don't over-mix.

5. Place into an airtight container before putting it in the fridge for two hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 170ºc (350ºf) and line two baking trays with grease-proof paper or a silicon baking mat.

7. Meanwhile, mix together 50g demerara sugar with the remaining 1 tsp of ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

8. Lift the cookie dough out of the fridge and work quickly. Scope out 1 oz of cookie with an ice cream scope. Roll through the cinnamon sugar mix before placing it on the tray. Repeat this until you have no cookie dough left.

9. If the cookie dough has softened too much, place the tray in the fridge for a few minutes.

10. When the cookies are ready to bake. Place the baking tray in the oven for 12-14 minutes. Less time for softer cookies and longer for crunchy cookies.

11. Lift the cookies out of the oven when the edges are crisp. Don't worry if the cookies still look soft in the centre. They will harden as they cool.

12. Allow to cool on the tray for five minutes before moving onto a wire rack.

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