Puff Pastry Mexican Chocolate Sweethearts
We love the spicy, slightly bitter notes that cinnamon and coffee lend to cocoa powder. The trick is to dust your surface with the sweetened cocoa mixture instead of using plain flour and roll the pastry in that—that way the chocolate really sticks to the dough. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even add a pinch (up to ¼ teaspoon) of cayenne pepper to the spice mixture for cookies with a kick. If at any point during preparation, the dough gets too soft and sticky, transfer it to a parchment-lined sheet and stick it in the fridge to firm up. If it’s too soft, the dough won’t rise nicely and you’ll lose those flaky layers.
Ingredients
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
? cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
Directions
Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl.
Whisk together sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and instant coffee in a separate small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture onto a work surface. Roll 1 pastry sheet into a 12-inch square on prepared work surface; brush with about half of the egg mixture, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Loosely roll up opposite sides of pastry sheet to meet in the middle. Sprinkle work surface with 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture; repeat process with remaining pastry sheet, egg mixture, and sugar mixture. Wrap pastry rolls with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each puff pastry roll crosswise, ½-inch-thick. Place slices 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on baking sheets about 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yields: Makes 48 cookies
