Hot and Spicy! Mayan chocolate chip whole wheat cookies aren't right!

Mr. Maven was walking through the house, munching on cookie in hand, muttering “this isn’t right.”

“What did you say, dear?”

“This just isn’t right. These are spicy cookies”

“What? You don’t like them?”

“That isn’t what I said.”

I threatened to toss them into the garbage. “No! Don’t you dare! I’m just saying that a hot and spicy cookie isn’t right.”

You decide, dear reader.

Ingredients

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter( one stick), softened

1/2 tbsp. finely minced orange  peel

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla 

1 egg

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup barley flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tablespoon (or less?) of red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup bittersweet (60% cocoa if you can get them) chocolate chips

Technique

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine brown and granulated sugars, egg, orange juice, orange peel, chili powder, red pepper flakes and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add white whole wheat and barley flours, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt and beat until well combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix in by hand with spoon.

2.  Form the cookies into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Serve with orange or mango sorbet and strawberries? You decide. I think they go dandy with espresso. These cookies spread out and are chewy, crispy. The dough freezes very well indeed.

-maven