Brownies are kind of the perfect dessert, and lately, an idea for Mexican spiced brownies has been rattling around in my head. The classic combination of chocolate, cinnamon and chiles is always one of my favorites.

To make these, I started with the Holy Grail of brownie recipes from Alice Medrich. Seriously, people can’t get enough of these, so it seemed like a great place to start. The addition of ancho chile pepper and cinnamon complemented the deep cocoa flavor, perfect for Cinco de Mayo or Tuesday. I’ll let you be the judge.

After eating the last of these, Ellie requested I make more. And, she meant immediately. I’ve raised a smart kid.

Mexican Brownies
Makes 16 brownies
Recipe adapted from Alice Medrich on Food 52

Ingredients:
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 dried ancho chile pepper
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cold, large eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang all the way around. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, ancho chile pepper and salt in a double boiler.

Add a a little water to the base of your double boiler. Turn the heat to medium low until it is barely simmering. Then, reduce the heat to low. Stir the mixture every once in a while until butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cook until it is hot to the touch. Letting the pepper steep a little imparts some of its flavor into the chocolate batter.

Now, scrap the mixture into a separate bowl and remove the pepper. Let it sit until it is warm, but not hot. Then, stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.

Spread evenly in the lined pan. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took closer to 30.) Let cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board.