Cookie Swap: Mexican Hot Chocolate Linzer Cookies

These Mexican Hot Chocolate Linzer Cookies come from Baking Bites. I spent the entire afternoon making sweets with my family. I am on sugar overload. So much so that the package of Candy Cane Oreos in the kitchen is untouched. And even on sugar overload these cookies look good!


And it doesn't hurt that they have Mexican hot chocolate as an ingredient. Have you ever had Mexican hot chocolate? If not then you need to run out and find some. Right now!! It hot chocolate cinnamony goodness!

Anyhoo...on to the recipe!

What you need:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 powdered Mexican hot chocolate mix (use regular if you have to!!)
1 tbsp ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
approx 1 cup marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)

What you do:

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in powdered hot chocolate, ground almonds, spices, vanilla extract and large egg until smooth. Gradually, working at a low speed or by hand, blend in the flour mixture.

Shape the dough into two discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. Dough can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly flour a flat work surface and roll out one of the chilled dough discs until it is no more than 1/4-inch thick. Work with dough one disc at a time because it can get quite soft at room temperature. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut rounds and set on prepared baking sheet. Dough may be rerolled once. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.

Using a much smaller cookie cutter, cut a small window into half of the cut cookies (as pictured above).

Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies are set and slightly firm around the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Cookies can be stored, unfilled, in an airtight container for several days before using.

To assemble, spread about 2 tsp marshmallow fluff onto each of the base cookies, then top off with a cut out cookie. Let cookies set up at room temperature to dry for about 2 hours before serving. If you use too much marshmallow, filling will ooze out when you bite into the cookies (not that that is a bad thing, just a warning!).

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.