25 Days of Cookies: Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Cookie #16 and you know what that means...9 Days until Christmas! HURRAH! I really don't know why I thought baking 25 different cookies for all 25 days leading to Christmas was a spectacular idea. I have certainly been learning a lot about baking cookies but I am so tired! They're time consuming and they need to be watched and rotated and spun and cooled and transferred and dusted or glazed or iced or frosted!!! GAAAAAH!

</rant> If you haven't heard about the combination of hot spices and chocolate don't be scared by this recipe! Don't be scared by it even if you have heard of spicy chocolate! These Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies from Cooking Light are so lightly spiced by cayenne and ancho chile powders that no one would know its there unless you divulged this secret.

But it's there. It's a warm and slightly smoky but subtle hint in the back of your throat after you finish the cookie. I was a little disappointed honestly! I've never tried chocolate with chiles so I was really excited and interested. Preface to this story: I love spicy food. I think I've burned some of the sensitivity in my mouth away because I eat the hottest and spiciest food I can find.

But these cookies are not spicy. In fact, the sweet dulce de leche icing on the tops of them with toasted and sweetened pecans completely counteracts any of the spice that is just barely imparted by the miniscule amounts of cayenne and ancho powders.

Oh, but they are very tasty. Very tasty, indeed! But they are unlike any other cookie I have baked so far in that they are shortbread cookies. Shortbread is very crumbly and so is this cookie. If you're looking for a soft chewy chocolatey cookie, then these are not the cookie for you. Go back and have one of the Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies I baked last week.

 Now lets get down to some things you should know if you decide to bake these.

Chill your dough. I suggest an hour at least! There were no instructions on how much dough to use for each cookie. I used a rounded teaspoon to get about 38 cookies. If the dough warmed up at all, I stuck the whole tray in my freezer for about 3 minutes.

The icing is absolutely divine but the milk component can easily curdle during the cooking process. I think it should be tempered and added slowly. There were no instructions to do this. If I were to make the icing again (and I assure you I will find other things to put it on because it's just that good), I would warm the milk slightly before adding it to the hot pan. Use a whisk for this part to help emulsify the brown sugar, butter, and milk components. It won't visibly thicken. Check this by running your finger across a dipped wooden spoon. If a clear line remains and isn't instantly awash in sweetness, you're good to go.