Chocolate Spice Cookies for Secret Recipe Club

The time has come.....the time is now.....to share with you my assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club.

If you are new to my blog and have no idea what Secret Recipe Club is just head on over here and you can learn all about it and join in the fun if you so choose.

Each month we are assigned another blogger without their knowledge then we sneak over to their blog and nose around.  We learn about them and what makes them tick.  We also go into their recipe archives and find something terrific that we want to replicate and share with our readers.

This month I was assigned to JJ of 84th and 3rd.  JJ was born and raised here in the USA and is now living down under in Aussie Land.  She loves brunch and chocolate and hates processed foods.  She has great recipes, many of which are gluten and dairy free and some of which are vegan.

I on the other hand, as many of you know, am a proud and hungry carnivore who tries to eat healthily most of the time but like JJ loves my chocolate.

When I was first given my assignment I went through JJ's recipe file and found some wonderful ideas.  I was soooooo tempted by the Smoked Salmon Breakfast Pizza and the Fresh Fish Tacos made my mouth water.  But I settled on White Bean and Kale soup that I planned to make for Soup Saturday as soon as I got home from vacation.

But, as is apt to happen, plans changed.  When I got back from vacation, I was reminded that Lent was beginning and our Parish Fish Fry's were starting the week I returned.  Now I don't fry the fish, set the tables or do the dishes for the Fish Fry.  I don't even attend each and every Fish Fry throughout the Lenten season but what I do always try to do is drop off cookies to be used for dessert each week.  It takes a lot of cookies to feed our parish, luckily there are a lot of wonderful bakers out there who, like me, bake each week of Lent to provide them.

So I went back to JJ's blog and searched for cookies.  There are quite a few cookie recipes, all using unprocessed flours.  Not being as health conscious as JJ, I am not familiar with many of the ingredients she uses but I did find a cookie recipe that was calling out to me.....Chocolate Spice Cookies....YUM.

JJ made these way back in 2012 when the Mayan's predicted the world was going to end.  She decorated hers using Mayan symbols.  I made them using symbols of Spring for this Lenten season. Regardless of how you decorate them, they are delicious!!

I did make some minor adaptations to this recipe.  I used white sugar instead of coconut sugar and I only used 1/4 t. of Gourmet Garden Chili paste instead of 1/2 to 1 t. of chipotle chili powder called for in the recipe. Also I used kosher salt instead of sea salt.  I did have some spelt flour on hand though....yay!

Chocolate Spice Cookies
slightly adapted from 84th and 3rd

1/2 c. coconut oil, nearly melted
1/4 c. sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. molasses
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. chili powder or paste
1/4 t. kosher salt

3 c. minus 2 T. whole spelt flour
3/4 t. baking soda

Combine oil and sugar.  Mix in egg through salt.  Stir in flour and  baking soda.  Dough will be stiff. Divide dough in half and press into two flat discs.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350*.  Roll dough out onto parchment paper and cut into desired shapes.  Place on baking sheets lined with parchment and bake at 350* for 5-6 minutes.  Cool on baking racks and then decorate as desired.  Print Recipe

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