These fudgy and chocolatey Mexican Brownies have a pop of flavor thanks to a little cayenne and cinnamon. Rich in flavor, these seriously addicting brownies are best enjoyed fresh or can be frozen for later.
This isn’t your average brownie recipe! With a secret ingredient or two, these authentic Mexican Brownies turn out gooey, rich, and have an added twist.
The secret in this recipe is a pinch of cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Adding a hint of spice to the brownie batter helps elevates all of the flavors and makes the brownies taste extra chocolatey. The best part is that this easy dessert recipe can be stored away for a few days or frozen for later. It’s the best dessert to keep around for chocolate emergencies!
(If you’re a big chocolate lover, then you have to try my Mexican Hot Chocolate and Black Bean Brownies!)
What makes these Mexican Brownies “Mexican”?
A little spice makes a big difference in these authentic Mexican brownies. The difference between this recipe and your everyday chocolate brownies is the addition of cayenne pepper and cinnamon. These ground spices in the batter add just a touch of heat and tons of depth.
Are Mexican brownies spicy?
Most recipes for Mexican brownies contain a little bit of spice, but never too much to overwhelm our taste buds. The spices actually enhance the chocolate flavor. With just a little cayenne powder and cinnamon, every bite of these brownies is elevated.
But don’t worry – if chili in your brownies isn’t your thing, you can simply omit it completely and they’ll still be delicious!
Mexican Brownie ingredients
- Lots of chocolate – You can’t have brownies without the chocolate! Both unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate chips are needed in this recipe.
- Cayenne pepper – This adds the signature spicy bite that’s known to Mexican chocolate desserts. If you’re not a fan of pepper and chocolate together, feel free to omit the cayenne completely or reduce it to only 1/8 teaspoon.
- Cinnamon – Feel free to use regular cinnamon or Mexican cinnamon for a stronger and more authentic flavor.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour for a balanced taste and even baking.
- Butter – This is melted alongside the chocolate chips and then added to the dry ingredients. It’s the best way to get your brownies moist and fudgy.
- Eggs – These will emulsify the dry ingredients and help the brownies rise.
- Sugar – Both granulated and dark brown sugar help the brownies taste sweet and earthy.
- Vanilla extract – To round out all of the flavors.
How to make Mexican brownies
- Combine dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter and chocolate: Add the butter and chocolate chips to a saucepan and melt over medium-low heat.
- Combine wet ingredients: Stir both sugars and the vanilla extract into the saucepan with the chocolate and butter. Then mix in the eggs until well combined.
- Make the brownie batter: Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Do your best not to overmix the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
- Let them cool: Once they’re done baking, leave the brownies to cool completely in the pan, then transfer them to a cutting board to slice and serve.
Tips and substitutions
- If you like spice, use the full ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- If you don’t like too much spice, reduce the amount of cayenne to ⅛ teaspoon.
- If you don’t have cayenne, you can replace it with chili powder or ancho chili powder.
- You can leave out the cinnamon if you want a pure chocolate flavor.
- Don’t overmix the batter! Overmixing will make the brownies dense and less fudgy.
- Want to add more chocolate? Feel free to fold extra chocolate chips into the batter as soon as the wet and dry ingredients have come together.
Storing
To store, keep the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll keep for up to 4 days, but remain their freshest for 1 to 2 days. You can also keep them in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, though they probably won’t last that long without being eaten!
To freeze, wrap the baked and cooled brownies in plastic wrap and store them in a sealed container or bag. They freeze well for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray or oil, for greasing pan
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray the inside of an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray or oil. Line the pan with parchment paper, and then spray the parchment with nonstick spray or oil as well.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add butter and chocolate chips. Stir continuously until the mixture has completely melted.
- Remove from heat. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk. Stir until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Try not overmix.
- Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan and bake for 32-36 minutes, until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a cutting board slice into squares.
Isabel’s Tips:
- This recipe makes 16 small brownies or 9 regular-sized brownies.
- While these brownies aren’t spicy by any means, you can definitely taste the hint of cayenne pepper. If you’re not a fan of pepper and chocolate together feel free to omit the cayenne completely, or reduce it to only 1/8 teaspoon.
Nutrition Information
Love this recipe, it’s a family favorite. Just wondering if I can cook in mini muffin pan, would I need to change baking time.
Just made these, added a bit of coffee as well. All the measurements are right on the money and they baked up moist and fudgy. Thank you for sharing.
These are best brownies I’ve ever had! Easy
to make delicious!
Isabel, I just made this Mexican Brownie recipe. Followed it exactly.
OMGOSH!!! Fantastic. From my oven, they were done in 29 minutes. Will definitely make again for a family reunion. Thank you for sharing.
If I wanted to add more cayenne to feel the heat, would that disturb the rest of the taste or form of the brownie?
Hi Michelle! I think the brownies would be okay if you added more!
Now my husband’s favorite!
Great recipe it’s now a family favorite
Sooo good. Next time
I will bump the cayenne a tiny bit
Made these today and they came out great!
I made these yesterday with adjustments for high altitude (Denver, CO), adding 1/4 c. flour and decreasing granulated sugar to 3/4 c. I added the cinnamon but omitted the cayenne. They were delicious! This is my new go-to brownie recipe (after 50 years of baking brownies).
So I cheated and used a box mix but added Espresso crystals to the water for the mix. Was a little generous with the cayenne and cinnamon. Definite hit. Don’t think I will make Brownies without cayenne and cinnamon again
Thank you Berni! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
How much expresso Crystals did you use?
I also doubled the recipe and they were too mushy and too greasy. I had to throw them away.
Hi Karina. Thank you for your feedback, we’ll consider this when moving forward.
I doubled the batch and made one pan with marshmallows on top. Added them the last few minutes of baking just to melt and brown them. This recipe makes really good brownies and much easier than the cookies.