Mexican Hot Chocolate
Note that I made this with Mexican drinking (sweet) chocolate. If you’re looking for a recipe made with semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, check out my Parisian and Belgian hot chocolate recipes. Some folks think that Mexican hot chocolate has chile powder in it, but from what I’ve read, I’m not entirely sure. So I left it out. But if you want to spice it up, add up to 1/4 teaspoon chile powder to each cup (250ml) of milk when heating it up, or add it to taste at the end. You could also infuse a stick of cinnamon in the milk to give the hot chocolate a more pronounced cinnamon flavor. A dash of Kahlúa might be nice on a cold winter night, too.
- 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
- 4 tablespoons (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
- pinch of salt
- 3 ounces (85g) Mexican sweet chocolate, chopped (see Notes)
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with the cocoa powder and salt, whisking constantly until it comes to a full boil.
- Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking gently until it’s completely melted. If desired, blend the mixture with an immersion blender, a whisk, or molinillo until smooth.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Notes: I used La Frontera chocolate, although Ibarra is another frequently used Mexican-style chocolate. Taza, an American bean-to-bar chocolate maker, has a line of stone-ground Mexican chocolates as well.
I made this with whole milk but I’m certain a nut or soy milk would work fine. I have not made it with lowfat milk but have seen recipes that use milk and water, so it would likely work. If you do experiment, or have your own versions, please feel free to share the results in the comments.