The kitchens of Full Moon Cuisine have gone mad! Mad I tell you! Not content to simply make a chocolate cookie, they set out to make one that combined the earthy flavor of chocolate with a bit of spice. The result? Cookies that use chocolate three ways and even incorporate a little heat. Guaranteed to interest and amaze your diners, these chocolate cookies are a unique treat perfect for spicing up your evening. Here's what you'll need:

- 4 sticks of butter (at/near room temp)
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 4 eggs (at room temp)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (plus more later for coating the cookies)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp water
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)
- 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips/baking chips

Note: This recipe will make approximately 4 dozen cookies

To begin, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. Next, use a mixer to smooth the butter in a large bowl. Afterward, add in the granulated and brown sugars, cocoa powder, chipotle powder and mix until it is light and fluffy. Following this, add in the eggs (one at a time, mixing each time to combine), vanilla, and water. Finally, add the melted chocolate, mixing to combine.

Incorporate the dry ingredients (in thirds) and mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips, mixing to combine, then park the dough in the fridge for approximately 1 hour. You'll want the dough to have the consistency of fudge (but not hard/solid) in order to work with it.

After an hour, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and use an ice cream scoop (I use a 1 1/2 inch scoop) to make balls of dough. In a small bowl, scoop 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in and roll the dough ball around to gently coat in sugar and place on a greased baking sheet covered in parchment paper. You'll want to leave a decent amount of room between each dough ball (I fit four rows of four each). Next, I recommend parking the baking sheet in the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the dough balls chill a bit more. Since there is so much butter in this recipe, there is a possibility that they could spread too far when heated. By chilling them beforehand, you stand a better chance of the cookies coming out better. Bake for approximately 13 minutes (depending on your oven), then allow them to rest on the baking sheet for an additional minute before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough.

Allow the cookies to cool and then transfer them to an airtight storage container. If you wanted, you could also make dough balls and freeze them, being able to take them straight from the freezer to the oven when you wanted.

Chocolate takes on so many forms. Many associate it with very sweet things. And yet, it has such a deeper flavor. Through incorporating the darker aspects of chocolate with chipotle peppers, you will get to experience sweetness, earthiness, and finish it with a bit of heat at the back of your mouth. Guaranteed your diners will be in for a pleasant surprise if you serve these! All you need is a bit of a sense of adventure, a little time, and a love for dark chocolate. Care to place an order?

Want to know what this challenge is all about? Check out my journal and feel free to send in recipes for cookies! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3096204/