There is something about the combination of sweet and spicy, it is a unique taste experience that leaves you wanting more. These chili chocolate cookies have the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and will also leave you wanting more.
Origins of chili chocolate
The blend of chili and chocolate originally came from the Aztecs and Mayans, who were civilizations from Central America and Mexico. This connection is not surprising, especially considering that chocolate itself originally came from these regions.
They created a chili chocolate drink called Xocolat. As a result, this spicy chocolate drink gradually spread in popularity around the world. Along with it, everything chocolate also gained widespread appeal.. I don’t know about you but I am very happy that it did.

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Tools required
- Small saucepan
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Knife
- Medium mixing bowl or Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- Baking sheets, You will likely need two baking sheets, but if necessary, you can bake them in batches.
- Cookie scoop, I highly recommend investing in cookie scoops—I absolutely love mine!
- Optional, silicone mats. Another non essential baking tool I love having.
- Cooling racks

Ingredients for chili chocolate cookies
- Butter, I used salted butter but unsalted is just fine too.
- Chocolate. For this recipe, you will need two varieties of chocolate: an unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate, which can be in either bar or chip form, to be melted with the butter. Also dark chocolate chips to add into the dough, now you could use milk chocolate if you preferred the cookies will be sweeter this way.
- White granulated sugar
- Demerara sugar
- Medium sized egg
- Vanilla extract, real not imitation
- All purpose plain flour
- Baking powder
- Cream of tartar. This isn’t a common ingredient and you may wonder what it is and where to find it. It helps the cookies flatten out and stay chewy. You can find it in either the baking section by the baking powder or in the spice section of your supermarket. This is a link to buy it online if you struggle to find it
- Fresh red Thai chilies, you will need one of two chilies depending on your own spice tolerance. If you don’t have fresh chilies you can substitute them for cayenne pepper.
How to make chili chocolate cookies
In a small saucepan melt the butter and the pieces of unsweetened chocolate. Once they have fully melted, place the pot to one side to sit and cool slightly.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl—or alternatively, the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment—beat together the sugars and the melted chocolate butter until well combined.
Then add in the egg and vanilla and give it all a good mix to fully combine together.

In a separate bowl if you can mix together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the main mixing bowl and mix well until fully incorporated.
Now add in the dark chocolate chips, along with the finely chopped fresh red Thai chilies.

Give the mixture a really good mix so that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated into a dough.
Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake
Pre heat the oven to 350F, 175C
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, if it is too firm you may need to leave it to soften a little before scooping out.

Scoop the cookie dough onto lined baking sheets by using a small cookie scoop or dessert spoon. The balls of dough should be just smaller than a golf ball.
Flatten the dough balls out slightly using your fingers.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, being careful not to overbake, as this can happen easily.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit for about five minutes before carefully placing the baked cookies onto cooling racks to cool before enjoying. Although they are delicious when still warm.
These cookies are perfect to enjoy with a glass of cold milk. Moreover, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, allowing you to enjoy them over time


Chili Chocolate Cookies
A perfect blend of sweet and spicy these cookies are unique taste experience that will leave you craving more.
Ingredients
- 150g (3/4 cup) Butter
- 60g unsweetened or semisweet chocolate, see note below
- 90g (scant 1/2 cup) White sugar
- 70g (1/2 cup not packed) Demerara sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 230g (1 1/3 cup) All purpose plain flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Cream or tartar, see note below
- pinch Salt
- 100g (2/3 cup) Dark chocolate chips, see note below
- 1-2 fresh Thai chilies, deseeded and finely chopped, see note below
Instructions
- In a small saucepan melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Once fully melted place it to one side to cool slightly.
- In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugars with the melted chocolate butter.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and give it a good mix to fully combine.
- In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, cream of tartare and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix in.
- Add the chocolate chips and chilies.
- Give the mixture a good mix until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated into a dough.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for half an hour to an hour.
- Pre heat the oven to 350F, 175C
- Remove the dough from the fridge you may need to leave it to soften before scooping.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto lined baking sheets using a small cookie scoop or dessert spoon.
- Flatten the dough balls slightly with your fingers
- Bake for 12 minutes, do not over cook them.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully placing the baked cookies onto cooling racks to cool before enjoying.
These cookies are perfect when still warm and enjoyed with a glass of cold milk.
They can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- The chocolate that is melted shouldn't be sweet, the cookies would be overly sweet if you do. You can use either a bar of chocolate for this or chocolate chips will work too.
- Cream of tartar is a powder found in the baking or spice section of your supermarket. You can substitute it for more baking powder but you may see a slight difference in the cookie.
- For the actual chocolate chips I personally prefer dark chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate. The milk chocolate make the cookies sweeter and creamier.
- Depending on your spice tolerance use your own discretion as to how many chilies you use. I wouldn't use more than 2 though we want a gentle heat that wont over whelm.
- You can use cayenne pepper in place of fresh chilis, use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of powder.
Loved these cookies. I’m not a fan of dark chocolate normally, but these were delicious 😋