Sugar and Spice

I am hoping someone can help me with my quest for the perfect spicy cookie. I've been searching for a the best recipe with pepper or chili powder so the flavor will linger and dance on my tongue. I'd settle for a recipe that includes allspice and cloves because I love the tingling sensation those spices add.  But my first choice is something peppery that could earn an interesting Mexican name that channels some Aztecs God or something.

I came pretty close this weekend with Martha Stewart's Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie recipe. The dough was rolled into balls and dipped in sugar, cinnamon and chili powder before baking.

I made the cookies to bring to  dinner party. Our hosts kept telling us that we didn't need to bring anything but I didn't want to show up empty handed. And since I worked all day before the party, I needed something I could make the night before and grab on my way out the door. What travels better than a tin full of cookies?

The cookies were wonderfully chewy but the flavor was too subtle for me. It might have been the chili powder. Maybe I need something stronger?

At least my host and hostess seemed to enjoy them. But my quest for the spicy cookie will continue.