I went to a very fun cookie exchange party at my friend Nena's house Wednesday night.  I came home with so many delicious treats, and met some new really nice people.  This is what I brought to the party - Double Chocolate Chipotle Cookies.  I found the recipe in our local newspaper from Kate Lawson's column.  She got the recipe from Spice Islands.  They are good - they have a kick.  At first you don't notice it - and then comes the heat.  I also think that the flavor comes out more the second day.

For the exchange I put my cookies in a sandwich bag, and then put them inside a brown paper lunchbag.  After that I just folded the bag over - made a tag - stapled it to the bag along with a piece of ribbon.  It was easy, but still looked cute.

Double Chocolate Chipotle Cookies

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark or Dutch processed cocoa powder (I used Droste brand)

3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup of regular sized semi-sweet chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until it is the consistency of wet sand and no chunks of butter are visible.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in vanilla.

Add dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, leaving an inch or two of space between them.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until centers are set.  Let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  Makes 48.