I admit it - I have a sweet tooth. Give me a choice between carrots and cookies, parsnips and pie, escarole or éclairs, and I will inevitably choose the sugar fix over the nutrition. (I'll feel a twinge of guilt, and I'll compensate by eating a lot of salad! But still ... ) So while many people are planning Cinco de Mayo celebrations involving salsa or tacos or enchiladas -- all fine foods, to be sure! -- I envision only one way to celebrate: Mexican Brownies.

There isn't much of a difference between standard brownies and the Mexican variety -- just the addition of a bit of spice. Cinnamon, absolutely! And also a touch, a hint, of cayenne.

I would love to try these using Lindt's chili-flavored chocolate bar; and I've made them with Green & Black's Maya Gold bar, with hints of orange and spice. But if you only have basic pantry staples like chocolate chips or cocoa powder, you can still bake up a fabulous treat without making a special trip to the store.

Many people think that baking from scratch is a laborious or time-consuming feat -- a misconception that this recipe undermines. Within 45 minutes, you can mix the ingredients and bake the brownies ... there is nothing difficult about it at all. And if you can't wait until the brownies have cooled to cut them, well just scoop out a portion and place it into a bowl ... a little ice cream on top, and you've got dessert!

Mexican Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 3.5-ounce bar dark chocolate (I used one that's 71 percent cacao)*
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
generous pinch of ground cayenne
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9"-square baking pan.

Place butter and chocolate into a medium-size mixing bowl; microwave for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes until mixture is melted, then stir until smooth. Stir in sugar, coffee, eggs, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, trim 1/4" from edges, then cut into servings.

* If you don't have any chocolate bars or chips, you can substitute as follows: 1 ounce chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon oil.

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures as she tries to win prizes, feeds hungry teenagers and other loved ones and generally just has fun in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here. You can contact Mary at yentamary@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter (twitter.com/foodfloozie). And look for her new food blog: foodfloozie.blogspot.com.