Mayor Mystery Cookies

By akselden

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted
• butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon finely (and freshly) ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Semisweet chocolate morsels

Preparation

Step 1

Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and cocoa in a medium bowl and add to the butter mixture. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until the batter is uniform.
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
Using your hands, roll the dough into balls about the width of a quarter and tuck about 5 chocolate morsels into the center of each one. Put some sugar on a flat plate and roll the balls in the sugar to cover lightly.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and place the balls on the sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, being careful not to over bake; the cookies should be delicate and soft in the center. Let cool on the cookie sheets.
Store the cookies in an airtight container, separating the layers with wax paper.