Last Updated on August 6, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
These Mexican hot chocolate cookies are perfect for the holiday season!
Last week my daughter Abby got into a conversation with a classmate about who could make the best cookies. They decided to do a bake-off and bring the cookies to the end-of-school party, letting their classmates vote on their favorite. The teacher handed them this recipe and told them both to use it for the contest.
The recipe featured white flour, so we had to make a few adjustments. First, we reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup. It just seemed like too much sugar! Then we replaced the white flour with our favorite nut-free blend: 1/3 cup coconut flour, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1/3 cup arrowroot flour (for my full chart on adaptations, check out Chapter 2 of The Grain-Free Family Table). We also left out the chili powder since we didn’t have any on hand.
I suggested Abby not tell anyone they were grain-free since many people have the impression that grain-free baking doesn’t taste good. Abby baked her cookies and proudly served them to her classmates. Guess what? The kids voted her grain-free cookies as the favorite.
This exercise provides a good reminder that we can proudly offer allergy-free or grain-free food, without apologies, and you never know – everyone might think it’s better than the original!
When we have guests over for dinner, I’ve stopped telling anyone if it’s grain-free, dairy-free, etc. I want them to enjoy some food good and company. Some friends came last week and I served them apple blueberry skillet pie. The kids raved and no one even knew it was made with grain-free ingredients. That’s a win in my book!
I think you’re going to love these Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. They’re rich and chocolaty with a hint of heat. I usually use coarsely ground Celtic Sea Salt in my baking for a nice salty-sweet combo.
PrintMexican Hot Chocolate Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Adapted from The Cooking Channel.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 18 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 6 tablespoons coconut oil)
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4-5 dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Place the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler over medium heat. Let the chocolate melt and then cool for 10 minutes.
- Place the coconut sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in cooled chocolate mixture.
- Sift the coconut flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cayenne over a medium mixing bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11 minutes.
- Note: I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
Carrie, I read in Dr. Davis’ Wheat Belly that gluten substitutes like tapioca, rice and arrowroot flours still shoot insulin levels through the roof because of their high glycemic profile. Is there a good mix of ingredients to offer both grain-free baking AND low-carb/low-glycemic advantages? Or am I truly asking for the moon? The cookies look yummy, and brava to your young baker. Best wishes.
I love “Wheat Belly” as well! Great book! Almond flour and other nut flours (which I’ve used in dozens of baking recipes on my site) is lower in glycemic value, but many of my readers have continued to ask for nut-free recipes, so I’m trying to find a balance. 🙂 My latest cookbook, The Grain-Free Family Table, is full of great lower glycemic recipes and I only use a bit of the starches such as topic and arrowroot in the book. I think you’ll find the recipes very helpful! 🙂 Here’s a link to the book to learn more: https://deliciouslyorganic.net/product/grain-free-family-table/
These turned out very well. I wasn’t expecting much from this cookie because I don’t have very much faith in coconut flour. But they are really delicious, and the batter is even better to eat! 😉 I love the spicy kick. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
So replace the arrowroot flour and tapioca flour with 2/3 cup almond flour?
I’m not sure I understand your question.
I haven’t tested the recipe with substitutions, so I’m not sure what would lend the exact same flavor and texture.
I made these last night and they were a HUGE hit! My boys and husband went crazy for them, and I even delivered some to a friend this morning. My only question is: Should they be so crumbly? I was thinking the tapioca flour would hold them together a little better (like the pizza dough!). Thank you for sharing your journey!
I’m glad you all enjoyed them! I’m not sure why they were crumbly. Did you use both tapioca and arrowroot?
I sure did. I used each flour as recommended and even used a sifter (which I rarely do). I wonder if I just needed a little more tapioca and a little less arrowroot? Or perhaps I cooked them a minute too long? I’ve been working on understanding the properties of each flour so that I can start to convert some of my families beloved heirloom recipes. Your book and website have been fantastic resources. One of these days I’ll get it all figured out! The cookies were still heavenly. 🙂
I have finally mastered these cookies I think! They come out with the most soft and ever so slightly gooey consistency. I could eat them by the dozen! My husband is a chocoholic and he will sit down with two of these and a glass of raw milk… it’s Heaven to him! Thank you again for the recipe!
These will be the first thing I bake when my oven gets fixed. I haven’t been able to cook above 350 since October and now I don’t have an oven or a stove until it’s repaired. I’ve missed my roasted chicken and veggies, your recipe, of course. Can’t wait to bake!
I want to make the Mexican Hot Chocolate but not grain free , I would be using white whole wheat flour how many cups do I use?
Thank-you
Wanda
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
These were wonderful!! They turned out perfectly! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Wonderful recipe for grain free cookies, keep it up
Cheers
Hi Carrie,
I stumbled across your site today and love the sound of the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies. I know every one has their own eating preferences, but can I make these with almond flour or almond pulp? I will look on your site for other almond recipes too. Thanks for your work and site.
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
These look amazing, Carrie! Pinning and making soon!!!
I’ve made these 3 times in 2 weeks! These are hands down the best grain free/paleo chocolate cookies I have ever made! Instead of using tapico flour, I used arrowroot (so I used two 1/3 cups arrowroot) and they turned out amazing! Soft, chewy and lots of chocolate flavor!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Beautiful cookies!
These taste just like my friend’s non-gf super sugary mexican hot chocolate cookies, but with better ingredients. They turned out fluffy, rich and completely chocolately and decadent! I used chipotle cayenne pepper, which added a nice little extra flavor.
I shared these with my celiac friend, and she was blown away at how amazing they tasted.
Thank you! Great recipe!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
My family of 6 has been grain free for almost 4 years and I have read every grain free/paleo blog around and tried SO many different recipes. Time and time again, your recipes are the standout in both texture, flavor, and consistent results. Thank you so much for your time and dedication to this type of cooking. We are loyal fans! Love these cookies, your brownies, and cut out cookies for the holidays. Wonderful!!
Thanks for this great recipe. I substituted the arrowroot flour for breadfruit flour which worked really well. I also didn’t have coconut sugar so I used a light muscovado and only half a cup as I was concerned it would be too sweet otherwise. A cup of cold almond milk and this cookie and I am in heaven! Thank you so much x
These are amazing cookies ( next time ( tomorrow lol) I’ll leave out the cayenne pepper)
Great texture & amazing flavour ?❤️?
Can they be made without eggs? Flax egg or chia gel?
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
They look amazing! I’d love to try something similar (to this and many of your other recipes), but I’m allergic to almost all nuts and coconut. Any suggestions for substitutes? Thanks!
First off – YUM! I used a combination of grass fed butter and coconut oil (1/2 & 1/2). I also used 1/2 c tapioca and 1/2 c. Coconut flour because that’s what I had on hand. They turned out great. My “dough” looked more like cake batter so I put it in the fridge before scoop out onto the cookie sheet. They spread out flat quite a bit, but the texture and taste were on point! I’m serving them to some Paleo friends tonight after a dinner of chicken mole land other delicious Mexican food, so thanks for the recipe. It’s perfect.
So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Carrie your recipes are fantastic! Loved these cookies and you can not tell they are grain free😊 Thank you for putting in the work and then sharing this on your blog.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Just made these exactly as instructed in your recipe. They’re absolutely perfect – thank you!