Chocolate Chili Plätzchen in Ho Chi Minh City’s December Glow

There’s a specific kind of joy in baking Christmas cookies while motorbikes hum outside and the Ho Chi Minh City air finally remembers how to be a little cooler; it’s a clash of seasons that somehow works – almost like the cookies themselves, which fuse deep cocoa and real dark chocolate with a quiet spark of chili that doesn’t torch your tongue but settles later in your throat like a tiny warm reminder that this stuff has layers. Yesterday I brought 80 of these little chocolate chili Plätzchen to work and my colleagues inhaled them with the polite enthusiasm of people pretending to work they won’t ask for more in 20 minutes, while my boyfriend is already plotting to push them onto Facebook Marketplace because, in his mind, anything tasty deserves a capitalist destiny. He had this idea with the Nussecken before, but this time he sounded much more serious.

For now I’m just enjoying the rhythm of mixing and shaping and refining this recipe – one batch after another, one tray after another – building a small island of German Christmas tradition here in Saigon with a Southern Vietnamese twist. Maybe a tiny side-business will come out of it or maybe it will stay a seasonal kitchen ritual between my boyfriend and the people around us; either way – the cookies slap.

Below is the recipe I’m using right now. It’s simple, rich, spicy in that shy way that makes people whisper wow, and honestly perfect for Saigon’s December mood.

Ingredients

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 1.5+ tsp chili flakes or chili powder (adjust to your preferred heat vibe)
• 100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 160 g melted butter, slightly cooled
• 110 g sugar
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Build the dry foundation
   In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, chili and salt until everything looks evenly dark and promising.
2. Mix the butter base
   In a separate bowl, beat the melted butter and sugar until the mixture turns creamy. It should look glossy and a little smug.
3. Create the dough
   Gradually stir the dry mix into the butter mixture. The dough will come together slowly at first, then suddenly all at once, smooth and cooperative.
4. Add the chocolate
   Fold in the finely chopped dark chocolate so it spreads through the dough like tiny treasure shards.
5. Shape the cookies
   Form small balls roughly the size of a hazelnut and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. They need a bit of space to breathe but they won’t spread dramatically.
6. Bake
   Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at

   – 180°C top/bottom heat
   – 160°C fan
   – Gas mark 3

   They should feel slightly soft when they come out. They settle as they cool.

7. Finish and enjoy
   Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Dust them lightly with cocoa for a final touch of drama (optional).

Serving vibe

Eat them with bubble tea, iced coffee, or straight from the box while pretending to be productive or on diet. They’re rich yet strangely light which means you’ll always reach for just one more. And then one more again.