These Vegan Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles are an easy to make vegan cookie recipe. Packed with irresistible flavor from the cayenne pepper, cinnamon and chocolate! The cookies have a soft center, crispy edges, crackled top, and are rolled in cinnamon-sugar.
You may be wondering if you have to use Mexican chocolate to make these cookies. The cookies come together to taste like traditional Mexican chocolate with the cocoa, cayenne and cinnamon. It is an incredible explosion of flavor!
Originally posted October 2011 and updated text and photos December 2021. One of the first cookies I shared here on the blog!
Another question you may have about these cookies is are they super spicy? And no, because we are using just a touch of cayenne pepper, they are not shockingly spicy. BUT if you decide on your own to kick it up with more cayenne, be prepared, you may burn your tongue off! I one time baked these and by mistake added extra cayenne.
I thought it would not be too spicy. Oh, my goodness! They were not that easy to eat! So I highly advise to stick with just a touch of spice. The zing of cayenne will be the perfect heat that mellows out with the cocoa and the warm touch of cinnamon. And did I mention all those beautiful flavors get rolled into a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping? Yes, these cookies are AMAZING! Plus, they’re vegan (totally dairy-free!).
It is a lovely cookie to gift to any of your chocolate loving friends…but just be sure to warn them that they come with a kick of spice in every bite! IF you are baking these for younger kids, leave out the spice. The older kids may take a bite and enjoy them (like my older kid does!).
Back when I first began blogging and even went vegan for a while (YES, I was totally vegan for about a year), I was dabbling in all things VEGAN. Now that I have a dairy-free kid, she is exploring and trying out all of my older vegan recipes.
This is one of those vegan cookie recipes that needed to be dusted off and remade with much better photos! The recipe is still totally the same (from the PPK amazing blog).
Sweet, a little spicy, rich and absolutely sparkly cookies that need to be added to your Christmas cookie tray (or bake them any time you’re craving something chocolatey!). No chocolate chips, no butter, no dairy…you probably have all the ingredients on hand to get baking!
Besides eating the cookies, we also had fun baking them. When I originally baked these, I made the first tray of cookies by myself. The kids took a break from their movie and decided to see what they could sneak from the batter. There were little hands coming at me from every angle. I let them finish rolling out the rest of the dough and they loved dipping the cookies in the sugar.
SO consider baking these with kids! They're easy to make, and the rolling in sugar is always fun for them!
I am normally not a snickerdoodle fan, per se. If they are on a tray of Christmas cookies...that is the one cookie I won't eat. But the cinnamon and chocolate in this cookie were meant to be a couple. I sometimes like desserts with a little surprise kick! The little bit of cayenne in the recipe is just right. The cookie texture is crisp and moist in the middle. That's my kind of a cookie.
What ingredients are in Vegan Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles?
- canola oil (or try with melted coconut oil )
- sugar (make sure it’s vegan)
- pure maple syrup
- milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda
- sea salt
- ground cinnamon (for the batter and also the topping)
- cayenne pepper
- turbinado sugar (for the topping)
How to make Mexican chocolate snickerdoodles?
First step is to gather all your ingredients. Heat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cayenne and cinnamon.
In another large bowl (you could make whole entire batter by hand or with an electric mixer), add the oil, sugar, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract. Stir together to combine.
Add mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in 3 portions. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl after each flour addition to combine.
Chill the dough for about 20 minutes.
When ready to bake, scoop the cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets into 1.5 tablespoon balls spaced a couple inches apart, on each of the baking sheets.
For the spiced sugar mixture: In a shallow dish, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
Scoop out portions of the dough into 1.5-inch balls (you could use an ice-cream scooper) and roll each of them in the spiced sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the center. Check cookies around 9 minutes, because every oven is different, and if the edges look nice and set, they could be ready.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Can I make these chocolate cookies gluten-free?
Although I didn’t try this recipe totally gluten-free, I have had great luck subbing all-purpose flour Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, and it could work fine with these cookies.
Can vegan snickerdoodles be prepped ahead of time?
Yes, they can! Since they are egg free and totally dairy-free, these are great cookies to prep a little bit ahead of all the hectic holiday baking and cooking days. If you have a nice and cold basement, store them there in an airtight container. Or if you kitchen is not too warm, they’ll be fine on the counter (in an airtight container or cookie jar).
How long do these vegan cookies stay fresh?
They’ll keep for up 5 days in an airtight container (even a little longer in the fridge). They’ll freeze for up to 3 months. Just be sure to wrap them well and store in a zipped lock freezer bag or storage container.
Some other cookies to enjoy:
- Vegan Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Lemon Biscotti with Lemon Sugar Glaze
- Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Banana Bread Biscotti
Go ahead and try to eat just one!
Hope you’re week started off great. Thanks for stopping by. XX
Vegan Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk or any other dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the topping:
- ⅓ cup sugar I used turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
- In another large bowl, add the oil, sugar, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract. Stir together to combine.
- Add mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in 3 portions. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl after each flour addition to combine.
- For the spiced sugar mixture: In a shallow dish, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
- Scoop out portions of the dough into 1.5-inch balls (you could use an ice-cream scooper) and roll each of them in the spiced sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the center. Check cookies around 9 minutes, because every oven is different, and if the edges look nice and set, they could be ready.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will get more crispy on the edges and crack some as they cool down.
Notes
Any unbaked cookie dough will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (or in the freezer for up to 3 months).
Butter: Use margarine in place of butter to make them vegan.
Sugar: Use vegan sugar to make sure they're totally vegan (IF you're making them vegan).
Yield: depending on how big you roll cookies, could 2 dozen cookies.
Dionne Baldwin says
Ooo vegan cookies! And Mexican chocolate snickerdoodles?? I see a bigger jean size in my future!
Their loss really. 🙁 They missed out on your smiling personality and sweet treats!
I hope you enjoyed your rainy day! Now go hide that movie if you haven't already.
Jenn says
These look awesome! I wonder how this recipe would convert to gluten free, I think I will have to give it a try 🙂
Yuri - Chef Pandita says
Love your vegan baking, Lora 🙂 Your kids are too cute! xoxo
The Mom Chef says
Is your family heading in the vegan direction? I know you have friends that are now and have seen a lot more vegan recipes from you since then.
These do look delicious. We enjoy our eggs and butter so I'd probably try to add them back. 🙂
I like the addition of the cayenne. Nothing like that touch of heat in the back of the throat.
Becky says
These cookies are gorgeous. I love cinnamon in anything. Who would think that these are vegan? Bookmarking for other vegan family members.
Claudia says
Cinnamon and chocolate were born to be together. And rainy days are made for baking. Send us some of your rain... and cookies. I'd welcome them both open arms!
foodwanderings says
Thank you these are definitely a keeper. As I told you I might make these with another cookie from your site, for the guys when we bring them picnic lunch in between games (again) in two weeks in PA. They will be so happy as I never bring dessert always focus on the savory.:) So yay!
The Vanilla Bean Baker says
Now, not only have you got me wishing that you would bake more cookies but I'm also wishing that I had a batch of these in my cookie jar right now. They look so good and chewy. A rainy afternoon made so much better with the entire family in on this baking.
Goddess of Baking says
I am going to bake these today but i noticed in the recipe there is two flour measurements. Can you let me know how much flour. Thanks!
Savoring Italy says
Hi Goddess-It's 1 2/3 all-purpose white flour. The original recipe calls for 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour. Next time I bake them I will try w/the WW pastry flour.:)
Reeni says
I love snickerdoodles! You upped the ante with the spicy chocolate! I'd rather be at home baking...than almost anywhere else! xoxo
Happy When Not Hungry says
Wow these cookies look so delicious and I love the touch of cayenne too. Yum!
Jamie says
Ha ha ha I see a chef in there helping! And I am no snickerdoodle fan but yum anything chocolate goes! And even better on a blustery day. Perfect! And these look so absolutely delicious! Bookmarked this recipe! Yum! What a fun family activity!
Virtually Vegan Mama says
These look so delicious Lora and I love anything spicy! =)
Jen
Junia says
i love how these are butter free cookies!! whooohoo for vegan baking 🙂 i love isa's recipes too :). have a great day! xoxo
Tony Storm says
woohoo! mexican food! i do eat that everyday tho.. (since im mexican haha)
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
I love the bit of spice in these, especially the cayenne! Now, you know that those molasses chocolate chip cookies are my all time faves now right? So I trust your cookie expertise and love the addition of maple to these...another of your cookies I must make!
Nancy says
Snickerdoodles are an all time favorite cookie in our house and I have no doubt that these will be too!! I'm with Barb in loving the cayenne in these... can't wait to try them out!!
Jen says
This looks so delicious! Unfortunately, my husband and I went to the Keys last weekend where the weather was also horrible. Should have stayed home and baked cookies!
Lizzy says
Oh, that photo with the bite taken out is making my mouth water! How chewy and delicious these must be. When my kids were little, it was Barney that I couldn't watch for more than about 3 minutes...I love the idea of baking as a distraction 🙂 Smart mama!
Aggie says
I love these! Love even more that they have a kick!
Bestfoodies says
I love your reasoning for why you don't usually make cookies! They look scrumptious!
marla {family fresh cooking} says
Love that organic turbinado sugar you put on the tops of these great looking cookies!
Cookin' Canuck says
I think the Zsu Zsu pet would have sent me over the edge, too. Baking sounds like a great remedy and these cookies sound so darn good.
Lindsay @Eat, Knit, Grow says
Yum!! They look so tasty!
Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinny says
Yummy! These look so delicious, love your pictures! 🙂
Rosita Vargas says
Lucen exquisitas y crocantes ,saludos a los cocineros pequeños,perciosas fotos,abrazos,hugs,hugs.
Ilke says
Like that kick in the chocolate too! But once you have too many becomes a kick in the butt! Hate that!! 🙂
Hope you have a beautiful weather this weekend.
Roxana GreenGirl says
Hooray for the vegan cookies! they look amazing Lora! Love the cayenne touch 😉
I got goose skin only reading zsu zsu pet, oh How I don't get thee
Priscilla - She's Cookin' says
I'm with Roxana - hooray for vegan cookies, especially with a kick of cayenne! Baking over Zsu Zsu pets movie, hmmm, tough choice 😉
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
Never had a vegan cookie, but this is one that I think I need to make. Delish!!!!
Sandra says
It is raining over here too..but sometimes I do like just to relax with the sound of rain..
Your cookies look wonderful as well as this recipe! Your have beautiful kids..love your photos!!!
Wishing you awesome evening!!
Baker Street says
Love the vegan version! Lovely take on snickerdoodles!
Erin says
Yum! These cookies look absolutely amazing. I have cinnamon and chocolate together. Perfect activity for a rainy day!
Susan Lindquist says
These look wonderful! Love finding new cookie recipes!
Anonymous says
Those look wonderful! I love baking with the kids. I know what you mean about a certain movie ready to push you over the edge! Great post!
Amee says
Those look great - my kids always 'help' me too, so cute!
Jen (A Girl and Her Carrot) says
Okay, I have a fondness for snickerdoodles, and I'm not sure it I like saying the word or the word "snicker" is in it. I love that you made them vegan and went out of the box here. They almost look healthy. Hee Hee. They'd make a great cookie gift. I'm with Erin..rainy day baking!
Give me money says
look beautiful