Effortless Triple Chocolate Mexican Brownies

I've been wanting to try Mexican brownies for awhile, but couldn't find a recipe that sang. Most seemed overly complicated, and though I love to bake, I didn't want to buy a lot of expensive ingredients in case the end result wasn't satisfactory. The recipe below is my simplified interpretation of Mexican brownies. This dessert is intended for adult taste buds with equal parts of cinnamon and cayenne giving these brownies a wind-up punch, until your mouth discovers the hidden dark chocolate chunks. A smooth chocolate cinnamon frosting will make you wonder why you've been eating plain brownies all these years.

Brownie Ingredients

• 1 box of brownie mix (9 x 13 pan)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 oz dark chocolate baking bar, chopped into chunks
• eggs, oil, and water as directed on the brownie mix box
  

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 can of chocolate frosting
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. In large bowl, mix together brownie ingredients according to box directions. After thoroughly mixing, stir in cayenne and cinnamon until incorporated. Gently fold in chopped chocolate bar.
3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 24 minutes until done. 
4. While brownies are cooling, empty can of frosting into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon. Frost brownies after they have completely cooled, about one hour. Cut into 18 bars. 
5. Enjoy the fiesta in your mouth!

*Kids version: decrease the cayenne to 1/2 tsp.