Spicy Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Hearts

For the brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. Set aside.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, chile powder, cinnamon and salt. Gradually stir this into the egg mixture until well blended.

Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack before cutting them into squares or circles. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate heart.

For the chocolate hearts:
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill. Holding a heart shaped cookie cutter down on the sheet, pour a very thin layer of the chocolate shell ice cream topping into the form. Hold the form there for 5 seconds to allow it to set. Working quickly, repeat to make as many hearts as desired. Place hearts in the freezer until ready to serve.