Chocolate Caliente | Recipe
I remember every year we would have a family "putting up the tree and decorating the house" party. My grandparents would come over on a Saturday and we would spend the afternoon and evening doing all things Christmas.
My grandparents would bring over pan mexicano (mexican bread) and my mom would make Mexican hot chocolate. I never liked Mexican hot chocolate.
But now...it's the best hot chocolate I drink. And my kids agree.
Mexican hot chocolate isn't like the regular hot chocolate you might be used to. It's not as sweet and the ingredients are a bit simpler. This chocolate is actually the only hot chocolate that doesn't give the kids a stomach ache.
So how do you make it?
First, gather your ingredients:
2 cups milk (serves 2)
Sauce pan
Mexican chocolate: I used Ibarra chocolate from Mexico, but there's also Abuelita which is a product of Nestle. You'll only need one tablet per 2 cups.
Knife
Cinnamon sticks
Molinillo or whisk or blender (A molinillo is a wooden instrument that creates the froth)
Now what?
It's super easy really.
You're going to want to cut the chocolate into pieces. The tablets come in a circle, but you can cut them with a little bit of strength and your knife into triangles.
Heat the milk in a sauce pan. When the milk starts forming little bubbles, add in the triangles of chocolate. It should melt pretty quickly.
Have your molinillo* or whisk ready and start stirring until the chocolate is melted.
Turn the heat low/off and keep whisking to make froth. The froth is key to making this taste amazing.
If you're a millennial like me, it will be faster to use a blender. You can pour the hot chocolate in a blender and blend on low for a minute.
Pour into your mug and top with a cinnamon stick. Some ingredients in the chocolate will settle to the bottom so use the cinnamon stick to stir.
Enjoy.
*how to use the molinillo: Put the barrel into the pan, and take the handle in between your palms and roll the handle back and forth. Let your hands roll from the top to the bottom of the handle, and then bring them back up. It's quite the tedious process, but will create some great froth.*
This is the best recipe I found with great directions, explanations and some recipe variations. I'm so glad I can share this drink with my family. <3
Join the mailing list to be the first to know when there's a new collection launch, exclusive promotions, new blog posts like this one, and to get a behind-the-scenes look as Karina travels to capture work for new print offerings. Right now there's 10% code for subscribers, so what are you waiting for? Put in your e-mail below.