Like heat with your sweet? Try Mexican-spiced brownies
Mexican hot chocolate is a beloved beverage made from chocolate combined with cinnamon and another spice or two to bring up the heat. Spicy and chocolate just plain work, and I wanted to see how it would translate into another beloved treat, the good old American brownie.
These are fudgy brownies. The kick from the spices — cayenne, cinnamon and ancho chili powder — is at first subtle, then more pronounced, then fades. All of which means that you must go back and have another bite.
Don't substitute regular chili powder or chili spice blend. These spice mixes have additional spices in them, but won't bring anything to the party here, and will in fact confuse things.
Buy pure ancho chili powder for this recipe, which is made from the ancho pepper. It has a mild, slightly smoky and somewhat fruity flavor.
Valentine's Day may be meant for couples, but these brownies are for sharing.
Start to finish: 45 minutesMakes 243 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter1¾ cups sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 large eggs1½ cups all-purpose flour1/3 cup cocoa powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon kosher salt¼ teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon cayenne pepper¼ teaspoon ancho chili powderHeat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.In a medium saucepan over medium-low, melt 2 cups of the chocolate chips with the butter, stirring frequently. As soon as the mixture is smooth remove it from the heat. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, then beat in the eggs one at a time.While the chocolate is melting, in a medium bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne and ancho chili powder.After beating the eggs into the chocolate mixture, stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted at the center comes out clean.Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.
