So easy to make, seemingly so familiar. What's different here is the cocoa and the dash of spice added to your usual homey Sloppy Joes, to take this sandwich beyond routine family fare with a new flavor dimension.

The recipe developer, Linda Stahl at Hershey's Kitchens, says she based this concoction on a recipe she often makes for her family. She chose the ingredients because they work together nicely, finding the perfect proportion of cocoa to spice so the cocoa intensifies the flavors to give a smoky note it's rich but not sweet, as with chocolate in Mexican mole sauce.

Spicy Cocoa Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

8 hamburger buns

Cook ground beef and onion in large nonstick skillet on medium heat, about 10 to 15 minutes, until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain excess fat. Stir in ketchup, cocoa, mustard, chili powder, pepper and salt. Heat another 10 to 15 minutes on low heat, or until hot. Serve in buns.

Cover; refrigerate leftovers.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups sandwich filling, plenty for 8 Sloppy Joe sandwiches.

Recipe from: Hershey's Kitchen, The Associated Press