Mayan Chocolate Sparklers - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar (for topping)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pinch chili powder (optional)
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F. Place rack in center of oven. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat and set aside.
TOPPING: In a small dish, add granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir until evenly combined. Set aside.
COOKIES: In a large mixing bowl, add shortening, softened butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on low-speed for 30 secs until ingredients are combined.
Scrape down sides of bowl and continue to beat at medium-speed until mixture is creamy (1 -2 minutes).
Add one egg to mixture and beat on medium-speed until combined (30 secs). Repeat with second egg.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Add black pepper, salt, chili powder, and cayenne pepper to flour mixture and gently stir to combine all ingredients.
Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture (1/2 cup at a time) and beat at low-speed until combined (1 minute) after each addition.
Add half of the chocolate chips to bowl and fold them into the batter. Repeat with remaining chocolate chips.
(Optional) Attempt to roll a small amount (1 tbsp) of batter into a ball. If the batter is too sticky and not cleanly rolling off your hand, chill batter in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until desired tackiness is reached.
Roll tablespoons of batter into 1\" balls. Do not flatten.
Roll balls of batter through cinnamon and sugar topping until evenly coated.
Place rolled balls on prepared cookie sheets, about 2\" apart. Do not flatten.
Bake batches for 7-10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookie edges will be dry, but centers should still be soft.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before attempting to remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
TIP: Place a paper towel under the wire rack to catch loose topping.
Store cookies in a counter-top cookie jar for 1 week or in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.