I think I should start out this blog by saying that I went on vacation last week.  This may not sound like much, but this was my first “real” vacation of my adult life.  Now, my adult life started after eight years of college and many “free” trips along the way, but this was my first vacation in four years.

A college girlfriend of mine was married on Memorial Day in Alexandria, Virginia; a beautiful suburb of Washington DC.  I’ve been to various high school and college friend’s weddings, but this one was particularly special because we met freshman year in the dorm and graduated eight years ago.  Needless to say I am very happy for her!

The wedding was on a boat called The Cherry Blossom that rode down the Potomac river.  I’ve watched movies with weddings on a boat, but this was my first.  It was so romantic and such a cool experience.

I had fun exploring Alexandria before meeting up with the wedding party and a close friend from college.  I absolutely love the brick lined streets and row houses.

For these cookies, I was inspired by Trader Joe’s Chili Spiced Mango and Mango Butter.  My roommate loves the Chili Spiced Mango and I thought it would taste good with dark chocolate and toasted almonds.  I’ve had a lot of fun substituting butter with a various version of apple butter.  I really look forward to baking with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter this fall!

I made the mistake of throwing the toasted almonds on top of the dark chocolate chunks for the affect of the photograph, but I didn’t think about the fact that the chocolate would melt.  Oops!  The texture of these cookies is unique due to the Mango Butter, but the batter and cookies taste delicious!

spicy mango dark chocolate cookies with toasted almonds

Ingredients

  • 1/2 unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Mango Butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup toasted almonds (toasted at 350 deg. F for 5-10 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup sliced Chili Spicy Mango
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the Mango butter and beat until smooth.  Beat in the brown sugar until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the butter mixture until well absorbed.  The batter should be very smooth.  Mix in the quick oats until combined.  Mix in the Chili Spiced Mango, dark chocolate chunks, and toasted almonds.
  4. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown.  Be careful not to overcook since the mango butter gives a false sense of being under baked.
  5. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How have you spiced up your favorite recipe lately?