Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
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Updated Sep 22, 2025, Published Dec 20, 2022
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Crisp on the outside, fudgy in the center, and flecked with melty chocolate chips, these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are inspired by the cozy beverage we all know and love. With hints of cinnamon and chili spice, this is the ultimate Mexican Christmas cookie you’ll want to bake all season long.
Table of Contents
What are Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies?
Mexican hot chocolate cookies take inspiration from Mexican hot chocolate, a traditional drink made with real chocolate, milk, cinnamon, and a touch of chili for warmth and spice. Unlike store-bought cocoa mixes, authentic Mexican hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and layered with flavor. These cookies capture all of that goodness in every bite.
This recipe combines pantry staples with Mexican chocolate, cocoa powder, and warm spices, making it an irresistible twist on classic chocolate cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Warm and cozy flavors – chocolate, cinnamon, and a touch of chili in each bite.
- Perfect holiday treat – these cookies make a festive addition to any Christmas cookie platter.
- Easy to make – just a few bowls, a mixer, and less than 30 minutes of hands-on time.
- Family-friendly – kids will love helping scoop the dough and sneaking chocolate chips.
- Make ahead friendly – dough can be chilled or frozen for fresh-baked cookies anytime.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This Mexican chocolate cookie recipe uses mostly pantry staples. The complete list with quantities is in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter – use salted butter if that’s what you have, just reduce added salt.
- Granulated sugar – helps cookies rise; swap with cane sugar or coconut sugar if preferred.
- Vanilla extract – or vanilla paste for extra depth.
- Eggs – room temperature works best for smooth mixing.
- Milk – whole milk adds richness, but 2%, skim, or unsweetened plant-based milk all work.
- All-purpose flour – a gluten-free cup-for-cup blend can be used.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch-process for mellow flavor, or black cocoa for deeper color.
- Ground cinnamon – essential for warmth.
- Chili powder – adds a subtle kick. Swap in cayenne or hot paprika for more heat.
- Baking soda – for leavening.
- Espresso powder – enhances chocolate flavor; decaf works too.
- Salt – balances sweetness.
- Mexican chocolate – brands like Abuelita or Ibarra are perfect.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – or use dark, milk, or white chocolate.
How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Step 1: Cream butter & sugar. Beat until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Add wet ingredients. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and milk.
Step 3: Sift dry ingredients. Combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
Step 4: Mix wet & dry. Slowly add dry mix into wet, mixing until just combined.
Step 5: Fold in chocolate. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Mexican chocolate. Chill dough at least 1 hour.
Step 6: Scoop & bake. Scoop dough balls (about 2 tablespoons) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 14 minutes, rotating once.
Step 7: Cool & enjoy. Let cookies set on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Best warm, but they’ll keep 3 days in an airtight container.
Optional Variations
- Vegan cookies – use vegan butter, plant milk, and egg substitute.
- Gluten-free cookies – use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
- Lower sugar – swap in a sugar alternative like Truvia.
- Fun add-ins – mini marshmallows or white chocolate chips for extra hot chocolate vibes.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Tips & Tricks
- Make sure butter is softened (not melted) before creaming.
- Don’t skip sifting the dry ingredients – it helps the cookies bake evenly.
- Avoid over-mixing once you add the flour.
- Freeze dough balls for up to 2 months; bake from frozen for fresh cookies anytime.
Storage Instructions
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee and chocolate are a perfect match. Instant coffee or espresso powder helps deepen the chocolate flavor in these cookies. If you’re concerned about caffeine, you can use decaf and still get the same rich taste.
I usually use a box grater, but you can also use a microplane rasp or a food processor with the shredding blade. Any of these methods will make it easy to fold the chocolate into your cookie dough.
Yes, but I recommend only doubling it. Larger batches may overwork your mixer and won’t blend evenly. If you want more cookies, it’s better to make two separate double batches.
Mexican chocolate (like Abuelita or Ibarra) is distinct from regular chocolate because it’s lightly spiced with cinnamon and sometimes cayenne, has a higher sugar content, and a slightly grainy texture. These qualities make it perfect for hot chocolate—and for cookies inspired by it!
More Recipes
If you tried this Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces Mexican chocolate, grated
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, eggs, and milk on low speed until well combined.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, coffee, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix on low speed until well-combined and no visible flour remains. Fold in the Mexican chocolate and chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Refrigerate dough to scoop or roll easier for 1 hour or overnight.
- Scoop balls of dough (preferably using a small ice cream scoop with a spring handle, about 2 tablespoon size) or roll balls of dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies, one pan at a time, for approximately 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. The cookies should be puffy and still fairly soft when removed from the oven.
- Immediately slide the cookies, still on the parchment paper, onto a wire cooling rack. Cool just a bit before serving, 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes
- Use Mexican chocolate (Abuelita or Ibarra) for authentic flavor.
- Adjust chili powder to taste; add cayenne for extra heat.
- Decaf espresso powder works too.
- Chill dough up to 24 hours or freeze up to 2 months.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Slightly underbake for soft, fudgy centers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Made them cookies yesterday loved them
These cookies are awesome! Wanted to have a bowl of the batter in a bowl! However, I found grating the chocolate annoying, have you tried melting it and adding it to the batter? Also, substituted coarsely chopped walnuts for the chocolate chips, delightful!
Delicious, will make again
Hi I am just seeing this for the first time. Was wondering if by making smaller do I need to decrease baking time? Since making for Christmas there will be so many cookies and I figure smaller will be better and will allow for more cookies.
Can I make these with regular sugar? 1:1 equivalent? I’d rather not feed my family chemicals.
You can absolutely replace with regular granulated sugar 1:1. Enjoy! Keep me posted.
These cookies sound dreamy! What kind of chili powder did you use in them? I have at a least a dozen different kinds ranging from mild (ancho), medium (chimayo, allepo), to hot ( habanero). Or are you using a chili powder blend? If so, which kind?
I’ll laugh if you say good old Gebhardt.
I used basic “chili powder”by McCormick — its a blend of chili peppers, oregano and salt. Feel free to use the chili powder of your choice, but I would keep on the mild to medium side.