Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles?!

The authors of Vegan Cookies Invade... actually posted this recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles on their website.  Another success from this cookbook!  I will definitely be making this again.  I increased the cayenne pepper by 50%, which made it perfectly spicy for me--something to slow you down, and make the flavors really pack a punch.  Because maple syrup is depressingly expensive, I subbed half brown rice syrup.  After I did this, I thought it would mess it up (because brown rice syrup seems to f up the consistency of everything it touches), but I ended up with a deliciously moist cookie--sort of the soft chewiness you'd expect in a molasses ginger cookie.  Finally, the recipe asks for you to make far too much cinnamon sugar for the outside--I've halved it below.

 Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

(from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

Ingredients

For the topping:

3 TB cup sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cookies:

1/2 c canola oil

1  c sugar

1/4 c pure maple syrup (or 2 TB maple syrup and 2 TB brown rice syrup)

3 TB non-dairy milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups flour (I used 1 c white and 2/3 c whole wheat)

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2-3/4 tsp cayenne

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil,  sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.

Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  

Makes 2-3 dozen smallish cookies.