Cinco de Mayo Chocolate Desserts

Cinco de Mayo Chocolate Part II: Desserts.
Be sure and check Dying for Chocolate yesterday for entrees, chips, and Tequila.

To celebrate this Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) we pay homage to the Mayans and the original, authentic taste of chocolate. Pairing chocolate and cinnamon in desserts and beverages is classic Mexican. Many Mexican dishes also use chiles, both dried and fresh. Besides chocolate and cinnamon, there are lots of brownie recipes that use chipotle chile powder. Don’t use chili powder in these brownies: Chile powder is composed of dried chile peppers. Chili powder is a mixture of chile powder and other spices such as garlic, oregano, coriander, cumin and cloves. Definitely not for the brownies.

Cinco de Mayo Chipotle Brownies
1 cup sweet butter
4 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons ground chipotle chile pepper (not chili powder)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup Mexican chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease and flour an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.

1. Heat the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over another pan containing water for about 2 minutes; stir until melted.
2. In a bowl, mix the sugar, salt, flour, chile powder (ground chipotle), and cinnamon,
3. Add the chocolate/butter mixture, vanilla, and eggs.
4. Mix well, then stir in the walnuts.
5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350° 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Easy Cinco de Mayo Brownies
Don’t have time to mix up your own brownies? Here's an easier way to get that Cinco de Mayo taste.
Prepare your favorite boxed brownies, adding 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter (for a batch that fits a 9-by-13-inch pan).

Spicy Chocolate for Cinco de Mayo. To buy and eat**

Painter Girl Chocolate has Tribute Bars. Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, there's a portrait of her (she was known for her self-portraits) and her motto is on the bar. Viva la Vida. Long Live Life. These bars are made with 70% dark chocolate, dried chilies and cinnamon. Six 5 ounce bars to a package.

One of my favorite bars is Chuao's Spicy Mayan chocolate bar. Chuao uses a single origin dark Venzuelan chocolate, a hint of Pasilla chile, cayenne Pepper and cinnamon. Dagoba has an organic chocolate xocolatl with 74% cacao, chilies and nibs. Poco Dolce (made in SF) creates an aztec chile square that is very hot. Thanks to Kelli Stanley, mystery writer par excellence, for her recommendation on the Poco Dolce. Xocolaterre has Chili Pepper Chocolate Shapes laced with chili, ginger & cinnamon.

Need some Mexican Hot Chocolate to go with that? After all the original chocolate was used in a hot drink. O.K., this isn't that drink, but you can make your own Mexican hot chocolate.
2 cups milk
4 tbsp dark chocolate powder (I use Scharffen Berger or Valhrona)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange zest
1/2 tsp chile ancho powder
Sugar--to taste
Heat up the milk. Stir in the chocolate powder and whisk to combine. Add the ancho power, orange zest, and cinnamon and stir. Add sugar to taste. Makes 2 cups.

Or, you can buy some hot spicy chocolate from Jacques Torres Hot Chocolate.The Wicked Hot Chocolate has dark chocolate, allspice, cinnamon, ground sweet ancho chile peppers and smoked ground chipotle chile peppers. Dagoba makes a Xocolatl Hot Chocolate that contains evaporated Cane juice, 100% cacao powder and unsweetened cacao chunks, chiles and spices. And, Chuao makes a Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate to die for...

Have a great Chocolate Cinco de Mayo.

So there you have it. Chocolate, Chocolate and Chocolate for Cinco de Maya.