Spiced Rice Cookies with Mexican Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 (8.8 ounce) pouch cooked and cooled Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Basmati
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 tablets Mexican chocolate (such as Chocolate Ibarra), coarsely chopped

Directions

Beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper in a separate bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stir in cooked rice, chopped walnuts, and chopped chocolate.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Roll dough into walnut size balls; arrange on cookie sheets, about 12 per sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.