Warm spices give these cinnamon-chipotle crinkle cookies a rich, earthy flavor and a subtle spicy kick!

The weekend before last, Shawn and I were out for a drive and ended up in Stockbridge. We spent the afternoon walking around and doing some shopping (um, hello general stores with penny candy and gorgeous locally made pottery!). Just when it was starting to get a little too cold to be out anymore, we stumbled across the cutest little chocolate shop. The sidewalk chalkboard announcing that the daily special was peppermint hot chocolate was what originally caught my eye, but once we got inside it was really hard to make a selection because they all sounded so amazing. I eventually settled for the cinnamon-chipotle hot chocolate, and I knew I made the right decision as soon as I took my first sip.

I also finally knew what flavors I wanted to play with for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I had been stressing over my contribution for weeks – cooking for other bloggers is always a little intimidating and I really wanted to do some sort of a modern twist on a traditional cookie.  As i suspected, the cinnamon and chipotle that was so perfect in my hot chocolate was even better when mixed into chocolate crinkle cookies, giving them a rustic, earthy taste with a little kick of heat.

I packed my cookies up and sent them out to the bloggers I had been paired up with. In exchange, I got Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies from Aly (Cooking in Stilettos), biscotti from Aubrey (Real Housemoms) and cranberry swirls that reminded me that it’s been waaaay too long since I’ve made cranberry bread from… someone? I didn’t see a card so I’m not sure who sent me these… if it was you, let me know. They were all amazing! It’s fun to swap with other bloggers, since you always get something really good. 😉

I’m so excited that this year, thanks to generous matching contributions from OXO, Gold Medal Flour, Dixie Crystals, and Grandma’s Molasses, bloggers participating in the exchange raised a total of $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids Cancer! Now that’s pretty sweet!

Cinnamon-Chipotle Crinkles

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Chipotle chile powder, made purely from ground chipotle peppers, gives a smokey heat to these crinkle cookies. Don't confuse it with regular "chili" powder, which includes additional spices like garlic and cumin.

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Ingredients

• 6 ounces [b]semi-sweet chocolate chips[/b]
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons [b]unsalted butter[/b]
• 1 teaspoon [b]vanilla extract[/b]
• 1/2 cup [b]sugar[/b]
• 2 [b]eggs[/b]
• 1 1/2 cups [b]all purpose flour[/b]
• 2 tablespoons [b]cocoa powder[/b]
• 1 teaspoon [b]ground cinnamon[/b]
• 1/2 teaspoon [b]ground chipotle chile powder[/b]
• 3/4 teaspoon [b]baking powder[/b]
• 1/4 teaspoon [b]salt[/b]
• [b]powdered sugar[/b] for rolling

Instructions

2. Add the chocolate chips and butter to a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
3. Beat the sugar and eggs until thick and smooth. Add the melted chocolate; mix to combine.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chipotle powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm – about 1 hour.
5. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line your cookie sheets with parchment or a silicon mat. Pour the powdered sugar into a shallow dish.
6. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls in the powdered sugar, coating them completely. Arrange the balls on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set.