Mexican Chocolate Icebox cookies - and an ice cream sandwich

What? Ice cream sandwiches on the 4th of April? Yes, indeed! As you see above, the pond has no ice - and no snow to be seen and it's 62 degrees and sunny. Isn't that perfect weather for a spicy, chili pepper-infused ice cream sandwich? Raise your hand if you agree:)

I can't take credit for the recipe, which comes from Saveur. Found in my stash of recipes to try, there was no photo of the cookie, so I had no idea how they were going to look. They turned out to be a lacy and very spicy cookie, that just begged to be paired with vanilla bean ice cream.

The cookie dough rests in the freezer for at least 8 hours, so factor that into your timing.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.

1/2 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour

3/4 cup good quality unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cayenne

pinch of salt

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 large egg

12 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Whisk flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Place sugar, vanilla, and egg in mixer bowl and beat until thick and pale. Add butter and beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour and cocoa mixture and beat until all the flakes of butter are incorporated into the dough.

Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a fat log about 8" or 9" long. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 8 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Fit cookie sheet with foil, shiny side up. Unwrap one of the logs and cut with a sharp knife into discs about 1/2 inch thick. Place discs on cookie sheet, not too close together as they spread.

4. Bake for about 12 minutes, then remove to cool. When completely cool, use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet and set on cooling rack.

Continue to bake the rest of the cookies as above, or leave one log in the freezer for another day.

Serve alone with tea or coffee, or use a mini ice cream scoop to arrange three scoops of vanilla bean ice cream in between two cookies.

Have a beautiful day!