Bring some warmth to January with these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies—a balanced blend of sweetness and spice that's sure to grab your attention.

Yield: 20 to 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour

½ cup/51 grams cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp ground cayenne

3 tsp ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups/305 grams light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Mini marshmallows, frozen solid

¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until creamy, 2 more minutes. Add flour mixture. Beat on low until no dry spots remain, about 1 minute.

With a 2-tablespoon (1-ounce) cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop dough into mounds on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. Freeze marshmallows, if you haven’t already.

When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Add granulated sugar and remaining teaspoon cinnamon to a small bowl.

Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes if the dough is very stiff. Take a mound of dough and flatten slightly in the palm of your hand. Pile 5 frozen mini marshmallows on top of the flattened dough, then bring the outer edges over the marshmallows to envelop them. Roll into a ball and then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on the baking sheet, 3 inches apart.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cookies puff slightly and bits of molten marshmallow peek through the surface. Cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough and marshmallows. Cookies will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Balls of dough (not coated in cinnamon sugar) can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To bake, thaw for 5 minutes at room temperature, roll in cinnamon sugar and bake for 13 to 15 minutes.