Cinco de Mayo: Chocolate Brownie, Truffle, Cookie Recipes

Last year I did a full Cinco de Mayo menu from snacks to dessert over a two day period.  You can check out the first Day HERE for reviews and recipes for Chocolate Tortilla Chips, Chicken Mole, Chocolate Tamales, and Chocolate Tequila. The next day I posted Chocolate Desserts. Go HERE for recipes for Cinco de Mayo Chipotle Brownies (different from today's recipe), reviews of Spicy Chocolate to buy for Cinco de Mayo, and a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate.

So, today, I thought I'd post a few other chocolate dessert recipes. 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 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 the following recipes: 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.  

Mexican Spicy Brownies
Adapted from Karen Hancock on BellaOnline

1 cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons New Mexican chile powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped walnut(s)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or grease and flour.
3. Heat the butter and chocolate in a microwaveable container on high for about 2 minutes; stir until melted. I use a double boiler (saucepan on top of saucepan)
4. Meanwhile, mix the sugar, salt, flour, chile powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the chocolate/butter mixture, vanilla, and eggs.
6. Mix well, then stir in the walnuts.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and the center comes out clean.
9. Mix the powdered sugar and chile powder.
10. Sprinkle over the brownies.
11. Cut into 32 squares

For Ganache ice cream topping: Place 1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a microwaveable container. Cover with 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream. Microwave on high power for 3 minutes. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth and slightly thickened. If the mixture is too thick, add warmed heavy cream until the right consistency is reached. (This can be used in all sorts of recipes)

Mexican Chocolate Truffles from Elizabeth LaBau on About.com

Although it doesn’t use actual Mexican chocolate (although you could), this easy chocolate truffle recipe features cinnamon, almonds, and coffee for a sweetly spiced Mexican chocolate taste. Unlike most truffle recipes, the chocolate is not melted but remains in small chunks. For this reason, it’s important to chop the chocolate very finely so that it’s evenly incorporated throughout the candy. This recipe yields about 12-16 truffles.

Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, very finely chopped
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup almond paste
1 tbsp strong coffee
1/2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 c cocoa powder
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the chopped chocolate, sugar, almond paste, coffee and melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together and forms a smooth paste.
2. Combine the cocoa powder and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or pie tin.
3. Using a teaspoon, scoop up small balls of the truffle mixture and roll it into a ball in between your hands. Roll the truffle in the cocoa-cinnamon mixture, and place it on a baking sheet or plate.
4. Repeat with remaining truffle mixture and cocoa powder. Refrigerate the truffles for 2 hours before serving. If you are making these ahead of time, transfer the chilled truffles to an airtight container in the refrigerator so they don’t get too dry or absorb other odors. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.


Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies from Jenny Lewis on Food.gearlive.com
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 t cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Instructions:
1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla extract and egg. Gradually add flour mixture until dough is uniform in color and no unmixed flour remains.
3. Shape into two 9” logs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap is airtight. Freeze overnight. The dough will keep up to six weeks in the freezer.
4. When ready to use, preheat oven to 375F and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should feel a bit firm at the edges. Store in an airtight container when cool.