Chocolate Angelica Cookies (or Diablo Cookies)
If you’ve been hanging around here awhile, it’s no secret we’re big fans of Tacofino – we’ve been coming to the (now uber-famous) food truck for, like, ever. This summer, it has been my goal to have a) a nap, and b) something from Tacofino every day of the trip. (So far I haven’t achieved my goal, but it was a good one, I think.)
One of their most popular menu items is the Diablo cookie (above!), a sweet inferno made with chocolate and cayenne pepper. It was featured on Eat St. People go crazy for them. I do not.
It’s nothing personal – I love the intensity of the chocolate and their dense, chewy texture. If anyone I happen to be visiting with gets a Diablo cookie, I can’t resist a few nibbles. But I’m just not a fan of chocolate and chilies – it’s not them, it’s me. And so when I came across a recipe for the actual Tacofino Diablo cookies, which, it turns out, are made with cayenne pepper, cinnamon and fresh ginger, I decided to make a batch with fresh ginger only: warmth, without the heat.
Think about it: chocolate and ginger married in cookies, spiked with cinnamon too, if that’s your thing. (I’m not a fan of the chocolate-cinnamon combo either; if I ever make it to Mexico, I’ll fill up on tacos.) The dough itself is extraordinary; dense and glossy and made with canola oil and cocoa, it’s a little heart-healthier than most.
You shape it into pucks and before baking, sprinkle them with salt and/or sugar. I kept some dough absolutely plain, unsullied by ginger, cinnamon or chilies, and sprinkled it with flaky Maldon salt for straight-up salted chocolate cookies.
And then I did a batch with ginger and a crackly sugared top.
They bake up all thick and crackled, dense and brownie-like from edge to edge. We named them Angelica to contrast the spicy Diablo (Spanish for devil); is there a better fitting name for a cookie warmed with ginger and cinnamon, two flavours characterized by their comfort-inducing properties?
And this is not to say that if you are ever in the vicinity of a Tacofino (they now have locations in Vancouver, too, although for me the very best truck is the original at the back of the Tofino parking lot with the tree tables, in close proximity to Chocolate Tofino) that you shouldn’t go and buy one of their Diablo cookies – but a solution for those wimpy of palate, or not able to make the pilgrimage.
This recipe is adapted from Tacofino’s chocolate Diablo cookie recipe they published in Chatelaine and on Food Network Canada. If you’re a real ginger fan, try adding chunks of candied ginger to the dough, too. To make the traditional chocolate Diablo cookies, add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients.
Chocolate Angelica or Diablo Cookies
AuthorJuliePreheat the oven to 375F. In a large bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon (if using) and salt. If you like, toss in the chocolate chips.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, ginger and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir (you may need to get in there with your hands) until you have a stiff, dark dough.
Scoop out the dough by the 1/4 cupful and place a couple inches apart on a greased or parchment-lined sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt or sugar, if you like. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cracked and set but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon (if using) and salt. If you like, toss in the chocolate chips.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, ginger and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir (you may need to get in there with your hands) until you have a stiff, dark dough.
Scoop out the dough by the 1/4 cupful and place a couple inches apart on a greased or parchment-lined sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt or sugar, if you like. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cracked and set but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
These cookies look SO good. I agree with you on chocolate and chilies…your version with ginger looks amazing.
I, too, don’t like the original cookies. I can handle your versions, with or without either ginger or cinnamon, and without the salt.
I eat from the Tacofino truck in Vancouver, near Burrard Street Station, but I don’t get their cookies.
🙂
i made the recipe as published in chatelaine with the cayenne and i did NOT care for them! (i’m in ontario so have never had the real thing)! I like this idea of just the ginger!
I’ve had these on my “to make” list since i saw the recipe in Chatelaine, but have been a bit hesitant because of the spice combo. Thanks for your opinions and options… I think I’ll give your version a try.
I made these cookies with the fresh ginger (no cayenne). Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. I always look forward to your posts 🙂
These look SO amazing!! I need to try this!
Tacofino is by far my favorite food truck. I LOVE their Diablo cookies and have made them from their recipe after being featured on Eat St to many rave reviews.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! I’m going to make some of these this week.
Did Shauna’s family trash your house?
These look so different and interesting!
These look wonderful!! Now I’ve got a serious chocolate craving 🙂
I made these today with the fresh ginger, some with sugared tops and some with salted (pink Himalayan sea salt, dontcha know?). They were both fab but I prefer the salted ones, hands down. Mine didn’t flatten as nicely as your photos so after the first batch I just flattened them with the back of a spoon before baking. Thanks for sharing these!
I like spicy and chocolate together and I know that Tacofino makes a damn fine ice cream sandwich with these cookies! I’m going to try my hand at them this afternoon and with the grey skies that have rolled in this morning, maybe it will feel like I’m in Tofino!
Yum! Except I’m gonna remove the spices and add the chile pepper back in lol… Pinning now.
OMG… Those cookies… They are sooo good that I made two batches in three days !!! They’re just to good to be true 🙂
I made the chocolate cookie base and added in a cup of mint chips. Spectacular. http://bit.ly/1br9lr8
Wow… I added chocolate chips and therefore had 15 cookies rather than 12. Warning: they are HUGE! Nothing succeeds like success.
I used an Aero Dark candy bar, chopped it really chunky and mixed it in! So amazing! Cookies were delicious, very satisfying 🙂 I cannot have dairy, so this is a cookie for me!
Thanks Julie!
Made them today after seeing the recipe on Facebook.