Spicy Chocolate Cookies

This spicy chocolate cookies recipes yields crispy, thin, heart-shaped chocolate cookies with just the right touch of spice from cinnamon and cayenne.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated January 05, 2023
Elise Bauer
spicy, heart shaped chocolate cookies

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

What is it about thin, crispy cookies?

I guess I love them because they appear so insubstantial; it doesn't seem like you're eating much, a guilt-free mini-indulgence.

The only problem I run into is that if they're good, it's sort of hard to eat just one, isn't it?

best crispy chocolate cookies
Elise Bauer

Take these chocolate cookies for example.

They seem so innocuous. Thin, light.

But with a deep chocolate flavor from natural cocoa, and lightly spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, molasses, and just a sprinkling of tongue-tingling cayenne, these cookies are hard to resist after the first bite.

They're sort of seductive that way. Perfect for a Valentine sweetheart. Enjoy.

More Valentine Sweets for Your Sweeties

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Spicy Chocolate Cookies

Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Chilling dough 60 mins
Total Time 2 hrs
Servings 72 servings

Although the prep time is stated as 1 hour 45 minutes, an hour of that is the resting time for the dough.

If using salted butter, skip the added salt in the recipe.

When you measure out flour, if you don't have a kitchen scale, gently scoop the flour using a spoon into the measuring cup, leveling the top off with a knife. Do not pack down the flour.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup (70g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

  • 1 stick (110g) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 3/4 cup (150g) sugar

  • 1 large egg 

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 1 teaspoon molasses

Special Equipment

  • Stand mixer

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients:

    In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.

  2. Beat the butter and sugar, add the egg:

    In a stand-up mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, a couple of minutes on medium speed (start on low speed or else the sugar will fly out). Beat in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. (The mixture may look a little curdled, don't worry about it.)

  3. Make the dough, then chill:

    Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, beating after each addition. When well mixed, remove the dough from the mixer, and form it into a ball. It should have the consistency of Play-Doh. If not, if it's stiff and unmanageable, work some water into it, a tablespoon at a time until easily pliable.

    Then wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  4. Roll the dough:

    When you are ready to roll-out the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C). Break off a chunk of dough from the ball of dough (about a quarter of it) and place it between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an even 1/8-inch thickness.

    rolling out dough between parchment paper

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  5. Cut with a cookie cutter:

    Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass to cut out cookie shapes from the rolled out dough. Place on a parchment paper or silicone-lined baking sheet, allowing at least 1/2 inch between cookies on the cookie sheet. (If you are making different sizes of cookies, don't mix them on the baking sheet or the smaller ones will be done before the larger ones.)

    cutting out cookies with a heart-shaped cookie cutter

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    heart shaped cookies on parchment paper

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  6. Bake:

    Bake at 350°F (175° C) in the middle rack for 8 to 10 minutes, less or more, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. (I recommend doing a test batch of a few cookies to see what is the optimal time for your batch of cookies in your oven.)

    The cookies should bounce back when you press on their centers, and some of them should be a little dark around the edges. When cool, they should be crispy, but not burnt.

  7. Cool:

    Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the tray to cool completely on a rack.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
34 Calories
1g Fat
5g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 72
Amount per serving
Calories 34
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 23mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 6mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.