spicy vegan mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles

I'm on week 3 with my vegan diet and I'm kind of getting used to this no-dairy thing. Although I'm not gonna lie, I miss butter!!! And I miss cheese!!! I'm not going to totally convert to being a vegan, but after my 2 month stint is over, I will go back to eating butter and cheese in moderation. But for now, I will continue to search and test some vegan recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth and midnight munchie attacks.

I try and find vegan recipes that I don't have to rush out to buy other ingredients. I was stoked to come across these vegan Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles by Post Punk Kitchen and when shared with my non-vegan friends, they couldn't even taste the lack of butter or eggs in them. 

I didn't have any cayenne pepper so I substituted chili powder instead. I also made a few of my own adaptations to the original recipe.

Spicy Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles
slightly adapted from Post Punk Kitchen
makes 2 dozen cookies

For the sugary coating:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup canola oil ***or veg oil***
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy milk ***almond milk is OK here too!***
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour ***or all-purpose flour***
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour/s, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chili powder/cayenne. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar/s, soy milk and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring constantly until it forms into cookie dough.

With a 1-1/2 inch diameter cookie scoop, divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll into walnut-sized balls and gently press into the sugar & cinnamon mixture, flattening roughly into 2-inch disks.

Sugarcoated side up, lay cookies onto your parchment lined sheets approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes. Cookies will have spread and will have crackly tops. Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.