I adore the combination of mango and chili in this cookie. This recipe was one of the first I developed, inspired by Kwelda, who had a passion for mangoes—and hot spices. She loved spice so much that she once asked where my ingredients for cooking were, but meant solely spices. What resonates with me even more are three key aspects: her warm heart, how quickly she embraced our family and the countless meals she prepared for us. She was always taking care of other people in the most subtle ways.

Cooking with love is real, even if the phrase is a little cliche. Although I can’t recall the names of her dishes, I vividly remember their incredible flavors. I swear I could taste the care and love she infused into her cooking—even when she had to tone down the spice for our palates. Naturally, spice was an essential element in any cookie she inspired me to create.

I chose to pair it with mangoes because they have a worldwide appeal and are readily available in America. They are also particularly popular in Tanzania, where you can find them among the many fruits in markets. Conversely, bird’s eye chilies are a bit more challenging to come by. I found them at a local Asian grocery store. They provide a delightful kick to these cookies.

If you like cookies with a kick, you’ll also like Carrot Harissa Cookies!

Mango Chile Cookies

Recipe by Sarah

0.0 from 0 votes

Sweet mango and a hint of chile come together in these cookies—bright, fruity, and just spicy enough to keep things interesting.

Difficulty: Medium

Yield

4

dozen

Prep time

45

minutes

Baking time

10

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• For the Mango Chile Puree

• 1/3 cup Mango puree

• 3 Bird’s eye chiles, tops/stems removed

• For the Mango Chile Dough

• 1 cup Butter

• 1 1/2 cups Sugar

• 1/3 cup Mango chile puree (You’ll make this from the mango and bird’s eye chiles. See the directions below.).

• 1 Egg

• 1 Egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

• 2 3/4 cups Flour

• 2 tablespoons Mango powder

• 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder

• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne (see note)

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

• For the Sugar Coating

• 1/4 cup Sugar

• 2 tablespoon Mango powder

• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne

Directions

• For Spicy Mango Puree
• Chop the tops off the bird’s eye chiles.
• Put the mango puree into a food processor or, if you have an immersion blender, a bowl large enough to fit that blender.
• Add the bird’s eye chiles and puree until you can only see small pieces of chile.
• For the Mango Chile Dough
• In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and mango puree.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, mango powder, baking powder, salt and cayenne.
• The dough is a little sticky, so chill it for at least 30 minutes.
• For the Rolling Sugar Mix
• While the dough is chilling, whisk the sugar, mango powder, and cayenne in a bowl until well mixed. Right before you start assembling, whisk one more time to make sure that nothing has settled in place.
• Assembly
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Scoop out a tablespoon of dough, roll it into a ball, and coat it in rolling sugar mix. Place cookies onto a baking sheet about two inches apart.
• Chill cookies in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before placing in the oven.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for up to five minutes on the cookie sheet. Then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

• I put a range here because spice tolerances vary. I like 1/2 teaspoon. However, some of my testers had a pretty low spice tolerance and suggested less. You’re going to know your own tolerance, so if you like spice, spice it up. If you’re not as big a fan, keep it low.