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Photograph of Mexican Chilli Brownies with Cinnamon and All Spice

Mexican Chilli Brownies with Cinnamon and All Spice

Delicious, fudgy, intense chocolate squares infused with cinnamon, allspice, and ancho grande chilli all topped with a layer of salted milk chocolate, cinnamon and chilli flakes. These incredible brownies will blow your mind! Makes 16 (or 9 or 12!)

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat
Keyword allspice, brownies, chilli, Cinnamon, mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

Brownie Mix:

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ancho grande powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 200g dark chocolate, 74% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 50g soft brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 100g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 20g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder

Chocolate Topping:

  • 200g milk chocolate, broken into squares
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt

Cinnamon and sugar topping:

  • 2 teaspoons granulated or caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon from the spice mixture above
  • ⅛ teaspoon chilli flakes

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 170°C /190°C/375°F/Gas 5

  3. Prepare and cook the brownie mix: combine the cinnamon, all spice, ancho grande chilli powder and chilli flakes.

  4. Remove ½ teaspoon for the topping and set aside.

  5. Chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie or and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.)

  6. Meanwhile put the sugars, eggs and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. This will take around 3 minutes.

  7. Pour the chocolate and butter into the eggs and sugar, whilst whisking, and mix thoroughly with the electric whisk until smooth and glossy.

  8. Put a sieve over the bowl and add the flour, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, all-spice, chilli flakes, ancho grande chilli powder (or cayenne).

  9. Sift directly over the cake batter. Tip anything that doesn’t fit through the sieve (most likely just the chilli flakes) directly onto the cake mix.

  10. Fold until completely mixed in but be careful not to over-mix at this stage.

  11. Transfer to your baking tin and level the surface, making sure the cake batter goes all the way into the corners.

  12. Cook in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. It will carry on cooking when you take it out of the oven so bear this in mind. (I cook mine for 23 minutes in London and 24 minutes in Switzerland.)

  13. Leave to cool before adding the chocolate topping.

  14. Make the salted chocolate topping: melt in a microwave or a bain marie and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.)

  15. Tip onto the cooled brownies and level the surface.

  16. Use a fork to create a ridged pattern.

  17. Mix the sugar and spice to sprinkle over the chocolate: combine the sugar, cinnamon and spices (from the brownie mix) but not the chilli flakes. Stir to mix well.

  18. Sprinkle evenly over the melted chocolate.

  19. Finally sprinkle the chilli flakes evenly over the surface. Leave the chocolate to set and cut into 9, 12 or 16 squares.

Recipe Notes

Equipment

  • Large microwave safe jug or heatproof bowl
  • Electric whisk and mixing bowl
  • Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • Sieve
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Fine grater
  • 20cm/8inch square baking tin lined with baking parchment

Be very careful melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy. When this happens, there is no way to resolve it I’m afraid!

Microwave: I give the chocolate and butter a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.

Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.