Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

How do I love these cookies? Let me count the ways.

OK, I'm not going to actually count the ways, because if you've been following VeganMoFo at all, you already know how awesome they are. I think at least half the participants have posted about them already. I'm a little late to the posting party, but not to the eating party - I've already made them quite a few times.

The first (and only) time I ever had Mexican hot chocolate was when I went to Max Brenner's a few years ago.  Everyone seemed to think this place was a big deal, but I neither knew nor cared about that. All I cared about was that I was cold and refused to pay the prices they charged for plain old hot chocolate, no matter how bald the maker was. Enter Mexican hot chocolate.

I can't remember ever being so excited about a beverage before. I spent days afterward telling people about the combination of the spices and the chocolate and how completely ecstatic it made my face (though, for some bizarre reason, I never went back to get it again).

The next time I had anything even remotely similar was the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I was in heaven. All that nice, spicey chocolate in convenient cupcake form. It doesn't keep you warm like real Mexican hot chocolate, but it still brings the joy.

Then I saw this recipe from Isa and Terry's upcoming Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. How could I resist? I couldn't. Whenever I had an excuse to bake, I made these cookies. I needed food for a flight? Cookies. Snacks for waiting in a line? Cookies. Going to a friend's house? Cookies. And I'm still not sick of them.

The cinnamon and sugar topping makes the cookies pretty (even when I make them!) and adds great crunch. The cinnamon and cayenne inside gives them a great kick without being too overpowering. Also, you make the whole thing in one bowl (not counting your plate for the topping) with a fork. No whisks or beaters or anything. The only thing better than an amazingly tasty cookie is an amazingly tasty, fast and easy to make cookie.