The Cookbook

When I left California, one of the things I really missed was Ibarra chocolate, dark Mexican chocolate tinged with vanilla and cinnamon that added a unique flavor to all my chocolate dishes.

I never really found a substitute for hot chocolate but these Border Brownies, based on a recipe in the El Paso Chile Company’s Texas Border Cookbook, comes close to the same deep spicy flavor that I remember.

• 5 ounces dark chocolate
• 3 ounces unsalted butter
• 4 ounces flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large pinch of cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 5 ounces sugar
• 1 teaspoon triple sec or cointreau
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans or 1 ounce ground almonds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and butter a metal baking tin/pan.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add chocolate (broken into pieces), melt and mix well over low heat.
3. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon into a small bowl.
4. Whisk the egg and add the sugar, whisk until pale and fluffy (you should be able to leave a trail in the mixture). Whisk in orange liqueur and vanilla.
5. Now you need to be careful not to overmix. Carefully stir/fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the nuts if using. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth it flat.
6. Bake at 350F/180C for 20-25 minutes (a toothpick near the edges should come out almost clean). Leave the brownies in the tin until cooled.