Mexican hot chocolate cookies

Hot chocolate, this time as a cookie

We made Mexican hot chocolate cakes earlier in the year. Tuesday, we took that same chocolate-and-cinnamon idea and made cookies. I think the kids liked these even more than the cakes.

At school, I cut big marshmallows in half, pressed one onto each warm cookie and torched the tops. The toasted marshmallow against that soft chocolate cookie is really good.

At home, I would happily skip the torch. A little powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon and ancho chile over the top sounds absolutely killer. That finish is an option here, so you can make the cookies without buying a torch or even opening a bag of marshmallows.

Why I use Sunrise flour

Sunrise Flour Mill graciously donates flour to our kitchen. Their Heritage White is organic, unbleached and grown without glyphosate, according to their farming and testing information. Choosing organic food can reduce exposure to some pesticide residues, which is one reason I pay attention to it when cooking for kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports limiting unnecessary pesticide exposure. That is a sourcing benefit, not a promise that one flour makes a cookie healthier. Regular all-purpose flour also works in this recipe.

What grass-fed butter brings

I used grass-fed butter in these. Pasture feeding changes the butter's fat composition, and research comparing feeding systems found higher levels of beta-carotene and conjugated linoleic acid in pasture-derived butter. Beta-carotene is a compound the body can use to make vitamin A. Those differences are real, but that study did not test health benefits in children eating the butter. It is still a food rich in saturated fat. I like choosing good ingredients for a treat, and this is very much a treat.