Winters are cold in New England! Hot chocolate is the best way to warm up. Mexican hot chocolate is my favorite. It is a little sweet and a little spicy.  Now I can eat it as a cookie. My recipe is adapted from the Wheat-free Chocolate Chip Cookies in Veganomicon.

Ready for the oven

Mexican Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 c rolled oats, ground to flour in a food processor
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 T. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. grated orange peel
• 1 T ground flax seed
• 1/4 c soy milk
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1/3 c canola oil
• 1/2 T. vanilla
• 1 c chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix together oat flour, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, orange peel, and cinnamon.
• Using a whisk or food processor, combine flax seeds and soymilk. Add remaining ingredients, except for chocolate chips, and mix until well-blended.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Leave mounded for chewy cookies, or flatten slightly for crunchier cookies.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes (11-15 if using baking stones). Let cool slightly on cookie sheet (about 2 minutes), then move to cooling racks until fully cooled.
• Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen small cookies

Yummy!