Story goes, that for centuries, a woman could find a mate in many Mexican regions if she was able to make a good and considerable amount of foam when making hot chocolate. Otherwise, suitors would not turn their heads to her direction regardless of any other virtue. What’s more, it was the mother of the groom to be, who judged how good the foam was.
Thankfully, my mother in law (who loves to dip Conchas into hot chocolate) didn’t abide by that tradition or I wouldn’t have gotten married. When I met my husband, the best I could whip up were some decent scrambled eggs and an extremely sweet limeade. Forget about a worthy, frothy, delicate, silky foam to top a rich tasting chocolate.
But it turns out that producing an admirable chocolate foam may be a sign of things to come: it may show how hardworking, dedicated, focused, energetic and skilled a person can be. Not only do you have to break a sweat, but also develop an effective technique and then there is also the matter of style…
No easy feat: Think cappuccino foam, with no machine. Using an ancient tool passed down through generations just for this purpose always helped, and does to this day.
The molinillo is made from a single piece of wood, with moving rings, shapes and indentations carved into its different parts, a sturdy bottom base to rest on a pot, a soft round handle for an easy rubbing of the hands, plus gorgeous decorations. All with the aim of being able to make the best quality, and most amount, of foam.
A whisk is not the same. But if you don’t have a molinillo, you can substitute. Just use it as you would a molinillo, with a vertical tilt and rub it between your hands as if you were trying to warm them up. Photos are sometimes better than words…
Crazy, really.
Leaving the foam aside, what matters most is the flavor of Mexican chocolate. Which I want to get to fast, because it is about to snow again, it is cold, and there are few things that are as comforting, filling and soothing as a Mexican hot chocolate.
Mexican style chocolate bars are made with toasted cacao beans ground with white sugar, almonds, cinnamon, and sometimes vanilla. There are other variations, but I think this is the basic one. In Mexico, there are molinos, or mills, that are dedicated to doing only this and they smell like chocolaty heaven.
If you find Mexican chocolate bars already prepared, like the authentic Oaxacan chocolate of El Mayordomo (though there is an increasing number of new makers) or more easily available and tasty ones like Chocolate Abuelita or Ibarra, you only need to add it to milk or water, heat it, mix it, and if you want some foam, work out a little.
If you can’t find them, here is how you can get the same rich result.
Grab a couple ounces bittersweet chocolate of good quality, a small piece of True cinnamon, white sugar and almond meal…
Almond meal is the already finely ground almonds. But you can also finely grind your own. Trader Joe’s has an excellent one, which as the label says, its good for baking & breading and I guess they can also add For Mexican Style Hot Chocolate too…
Place those ingredients in a sauce pan and add milk, which is my preference, or water or a combination of both, and some vanilla extract.
Set the pan over medium heat, and once the chocolate dissolves remove from the heat. Beat the chocolate with a molinillo or a whisk, I really recommend that part.
In Mexico there are tall pots made specially for beating the chocolate, called chocolateros, but any sauce pan will do…
Forget about being worthy of a mate…. The satisfaction of drinking that hot, thick, creamy and tasty chocolate, at the same time as the frothy, cloudy and delicate foam touches your lips, is worth the while.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Recipe Yield
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Ingredients
- 2 cups milk and/or water
- 2 ounces Mexican style chocolate such as Abuelita, Ibarra, Mayordomo
If you can’t find Mexican chocolate substitute for:
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate of good quality
- 1 true cinnamon stick of about 2 inches
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons almond meal or finely ground almonds
- 4 tablespoons sugar more or less to taste
To Prepare
- In a saucepan add the milk or water with the Mexican chocolate or the substituting ingredients. Set over medium heat until the chocolate has completely dissolved and the liquid is simmering.
- Remove the pan from heat, and if you so are inclined, beat with a whisk or molinillo, until the hot chocolate has a thick layer of foam on top. Serve while very hot.
Comments
78comments inAncient Ways for Comfort on Cold Days: Mexican Hot Chocolate
n bay.
Jan 24
im trying it tonight. my son has diabetes,so ill use mostly sweetner. heres hoping.
Pati Jinich
Jan 27
Hope you guys liked the Hot Chocolate 😉
Irene War!
Dec 06
My mama began with water covering the chocolate disk. As the water began to boil and the disk was dissolving, she would whisk and then add an equal amount of evaporated milk. She called it, ” poor man’s chocolate”.
Pati Jinich
Dec 08
Yummy!
Linda Kirwan
Dec 05
Another great recipes( Mexican hot chocolate) I will surely visit my Mexican market for the chocolate.
Thanking you ahead of time, Lindakirwan
Pati Jinich
Dec 08
So happy you liked it Linda!
J. Ong
Jan 01
Thanks for sharing Pati. I halved this since I was drinking this alone. I used all milk and Ibarra chocolate- which had cinnamon listed as one of it’s ingredients. I still added the cinnamon stick. I heated up the milk with the almond meal and cinnamon first, then when the milk started foaming up the pan I turned off the heat and added very finely chopped Ibarra. I wasn’t sure if the chocolate was supposed to be more incorporated into the milk, so I heated it up a second time. When this didn’t seem to do anything, I offed the heat and added the vanilla extract. I don’t know if this did anything. I found this sweet enough without additional sugar. A pinch of cayenne powder and it was delicious. Better than any pre-packaged hot cocoa mix or even any homemade hot cocoa mix I’ve tried. I’ll be making this again. Maybe next time I’ll toast the almond meal and cinnamon stick a bit before adding the milk. I like the flavor of almonds and cinnamon.
Pati
Jan 02
So glad you made the recipe your own! And toasting the almonds and cinnamon would be super yum.
Marl
Nov 25
When do you add the rest of the ingredients? It just has the milk and chocolate
Pati Jinich
Dec 13
If you can’t find Mexican Chocolate, you add all of the substituting ingredients to the milk/or water at the same time. Enjoy, Marl.
SassyinClifton,VA
Nov 15
My nine year old daughter and I made this today– a snow day in November in Clifton, VA (DC suburb). We sipped it as we watched the icy mix fall outside our windows here in the woods. Thank you, Pati!
Pati
Nov 15
Oh what a great way to spend a snow day, Sassy! Say hi to your daughter for me.
jessica s.
Nov 03
I substituted the milk for coconut milk, and added a pinch of chili powder. Wonderful!
Pati
Nov 05
So glad you made it your own, Jessica!
Irene war
Sep 22
I make mine with water and evaporated milk. Love the flavor. We call it poor man s chocolate bc half water half canned milk
Pati
Oct 02
I love that everyone has their own traditions when it comes to Hot Chocolate! Thanks for sharing yours Irene.
Lesa Kautz
Jan 27
As you can see on the recipe above, “To Prepare” says Warning: invalid argument supplied for foreach () in /home/patijinich/public_html/pati_2020/wp-content/plugins/wp-ultimate-recipe-premium/core/addons/custom-templates/templates/recipe/instructions/php on line 56
???
Please fix!
Pati
Jan 29
Fixed it! Thank you Lesa!
Lesa
Feb 01
Thank you. I recently received 2 molinas from my mother. I’m anxious to give them a try!
Pati
Feb 01
Oh have fun with them!
Stephanie McCumber
Oct 28
I recently got a molinillo from my boyfriend’s aunt, which used to be his grandmother’s on our visit to Mexico City this past August. I hope I can make both proud this upcoming weekend when I use it to make hot chocolate for the ofrenda.
Pati
Nov 01
Good luck!
Jana Bilano
May 01
What else can I use for the almond meal. I am allergic to almonds?
Pati
May 09
Ground peanuts if you have a tree nut allergy. Any other nuts will do if you can have other nuts =) Or you can just keep out the nuttiness all together
debbie oguin
Nov 11
This post doesnt have anything to do with this article but will you send me a recipe for enchilada suiza please
Pati
Nov 14
I have a recipe for Enchiladas Suizas in my upcoming cookbook, called Mexican Today! Will try to post here soon too.
gary pleasanton
Oct 19
I use a cuisinart smart stick for foam works great
gary pleasanton
Oct 19
I use a cuisinart smart stick for the foam works great
Pati
Oct 19
Great idea!
Cindy
Oct 16
Hola Pati,
Do you have a recipe for champurado?
Pati
Oct 19
I do! http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/2015/04/mexican-chocolate-and-masa-drink/ =)
Lee wei
Sep 28
Can i add some chili or other mexican spice?
Pati
Sep 28
Surely!
Kristy
Feb 22
Tazo based in Medford MA, just 3 miles of.Boston sells a large variety of flavoured Mexican chocolate” discs” . Every flavor mentioned here and s o me unusual ones. Luckily I live very near and am able to buy these direct and at several local stores. Just not sure if they are sold nation wide, but.I would assume on the web. Personally I also love breaking them into small pieces and eating them as is.
Pati
Feb 23
Hi Kristy, So funny, I do the same thing…breaking them into small pieces and eating as is.
Sylvia Torres
Feb 20
Hello just wanted to know the prices on your tres leche birthday cake for a sweet sixteen a tier.
Pati
Feb 20
Hola Sylvia, Don’t sell tres leches cakes. My recipe is here, if you’d like to try it: http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/2010/02/tres_leches_cake/
psaviano
Dec 20
A good place to buy Mexican chocolate tablets online is at Viva Oaxaca Folk Art, based in Boston, MA. We import two brands of chocolate directly from Oaxaca — La Soledad chocolate and Mayordomo chocolate. We carry several sizes and flavors within each brand. Some are flavored with cinnamon, some vanilla, we have low-sugar blends and also MOKA. We have the wooden chocolate beaters, (molinillos), from Oaxaca, too. We also sell mole negro (which contains chocolate) from La Soledad.
To easily find our website online, just do a search for Viva Oaxaca Boston.
Joy T
Dec 07
I’m making this for the first time for our Christmas party, a special addition for some Hispanic friends. I’m crossing my fingers that I get it right!
Pati
Dec 09
You will, Joy!
fred
Nov 08
Hola,
I have been making a champurado. Milk, semi-sweet morsels, cinnamon, and cayenne.I enjoy the zing of the cayenne with the edge of the chocolate.
Have the coffee simmering right now.
I enjoy your show when I get the opportunity to watch.
Que tenga buen dia!
Fred
Pati
Nov 14
Sounds lovely, Fred! Thank you for watching!!
Helen
Mar 31
Hi Pati, just wanted to let you know that
I love you’re show!!, you make it so fun
Pati Jinich
Apr 11
Thanks so much Helen 😉
Nadia Vazquez
Jul 08
Hola mi nombre es Nadia vivo en Las Vegas NV, originaria del Distrito Federal. Estoy super feliz de haber encontrado tu programa.Me encanta ver tus recetas. Sinceramente no he sido muy fan ala cocina pero empeze a ver tu programa y me inspiraste a cocinar. Me gusta con la passion que cocinas y que incluyes a tu Hermosa familia. Mi esposo es Koreano y le estoy empezando a cocinar tus recetas para que vea lo sabroso que es nuestra comida. Gracias por compartir tus recetas, bendiciones
Pati
Jul 09
Gracias!!
Maria
Apr 05
Hola from Ashburn, Virginia! Where can I buy those cute cups for the hot chocolate. I love all the traditional dishware from Mexico but it’s so hard to find it here. I want my boys to love everything from our culture.
Pati
Apr 06
These days one can find Mexican cups much more easily than before, across the border. If you don’t find them in stores close to you, look online! Or ask a Mexican friend to bring some back form you from any Mexican market…
cindyb
Oct 21
Hi Pati! I love Mexican hot chocolate, but what I really crave during the fall and winter months is a good champurrado! Got any good recipes for it? I’m dying to know your take on it.
Pati
Oct 22
Will try to post soon!
Karina
Sep 20
Pati,
I just love all of your recipes!
Pati
Sep 26
Thank you, Karina!! 🙂
Duane White
Apr 22
Pati…
Do you have any versions like this with chili peppers in it kind of like how the mayans or aztecs used to drink it?
Thanks,
Duane
Pati
Jun 09
Hi Duane,
Sorry for the tardy response! Just add a bit of ground dried chile to taste, such as Ancho chile powder or Chipotle chile powder…(however, they didn’t use sugar!) that’s it!
shelia
Nov 20
Hi love the site! Do you have any recipes for atole? Thank you
Pati Jinich
Nov 22
Yes, I do Sheila, and I will be sure to post it soon! If you have any more requests, just let me know 🙂
susan
Aug 17
Paty and know so much? I love your recipes I live in Mexico and I see by Create!, and I love your kitchen! have overcome many Mexican chefs!
Pati Jinich
Aug 18
Thank you Susan!
gratis spelletjes
Sep 08
Excellent article as usual, thanks!
Letty
Apr 20
Mujer, I’m gonna cry!
This is just how I remember it. I love conchas and any kind a mexican bread with it. Love the espuma too.
Pati Jinich
Apr 20
No, no, no!!! Don’t cry!! Make the hot chocolate with a lot of foam and dip in there some Mexican bread too!! Hope you enjoy… Thank you for your comment ; )
Dan & Elicia
Mar 28
We’re hot chocolate fiends who used to live in DC (now in San Antonio, TX). While living in DC 2 years ago, we had wonderful “Mexican Hot Chocolate” at the Smithsonian Museum of Native American Culture. It had a wonderful and surprising “zing,” which we thought to be provided by some sort of chile. Is this traditional? What sort of chile, what form (powder?), and how much would you recommend (if at all)?
Thanks so much!
Pati Jinich
Mar 28
Hi Dan and Elicia,
Spiced up hot chocolate was the way Aztecs used to drink chocolate in Pre-Hispanic times. They would mix chocolate with water, ground dried chiles and sometimes a sweetener like a natural honey. After the Spaniards arrived hot chocolate went sweet, with the addition of almonds, granulated sugar and cinnamon. However, in modern times, spiced up hot chocolate is back in vogue!
Just add a little bit, as chile goes a long way, about 1/4 teaspoon -per serving- ground dried chile like Ancho, Mulato, Chile de Arbol or Chipotle (I would go for one of those four, and the later two being spicier…) to the hot chocolate as it simmers. Let it sit for a couple minutes before drinking, so the flavors will come out and blend together. If you don’t find those ground chiles in the store, just seed, toast and grind any one of the whole dried chiles at home. Enjoy!
Meg
Mar 05
Rich, frothy Mexican hot chocolate would have been wonderful during the February snows! And frothy chocolate is truly ancient–Pots made by the Maya in the Classic period (300-900 AD)show cylindrical vessels with froth on the top!
Pati Jinich
Mar 05
Hi Meg, hold your thoughts on the snow… I hear there may be some more coming!! If not, just wait for an early morning, a lazy Sunday afternoon or a late night: all perfect excuses for Maya style, rich and frothy chocolate…
Yum
Mar 04
Mmmmmmmm……
Liz
Mar 03
Hey I love Chocolate Abuelita and they sell it at my grocery store. Never knew what to do with it. Now I know!
Pati Jinich
Mar 03
You can munch on it too!
Rob
Dec 11
I don’t have much luck getting Abuelitas to melt completely. I’m going to try the chocolate bars you suggest.
Pati
Dec 13
Oh I hope you enjoy the hot chocolate, Rob!
Divina
Mar 03
I absolutely love this hot chocolate but I haven’t had it in a long time. I remembered I used Ibarra when I was still living in Vancouver but might be hard to find it in the Philippines. I’ll try your other method but we don’t have the other tool to make the hot chocolate frothy. Probably a wire whisk would work. I’ll give it a try.
Pati Jinich
Mar 03
Divina, first of all you have a gorgeous name! Try it with a whisk, it should work very well too… And some people don’t like foam in their hot chocolate at all, so you can try it without the foam as well…
Fuji Mama
Mar 01
I LOVE Mexican hot chocolate! Is there a good source for purchasing a molinillo? Oh, and that tea cup is GORGEOUS!!
Pati Jinich
Mar 01
Thank you! That cup comes from Mexico City. As for the molinillo, you can find some online these days for sure. Just google molinillo and they will pop right up! But you can get your heart filled with gorgeous choices in any Mexican market… anywhere… in Mexico…
Perla
Feb 27
Muy rico para el frÃo, faltó decirles que metan su concha del otro dÃa en su chocolate mmmmmmmmmm
que rico
Perla
Pati Jinich
Feb 27
MMMmmmm, si! Great idea, conchas dipped in hot chocolate. Will add a link!
heidileon
Feb 25
wow mi Pati, creo que el chocolate caliente es el ultimate comfort food para nosotros no?.
Me encanto tu post. Mi mama tambie siempre usa El mayordomo pero yo le soy fiel a la Abuelita (que ademas es igualita a MI abuelita!!!..en serio! no joking!!)..
Anyway, when I left Mexico one of the things that I packed with me was my molinillo.
xo
H
ps. nunca le he anadido polvo de almendras!. Now I’m intrigued.
Pati Jinich
Feb 26
My dearest Heidi,
Que sÃ! Chocolate abuelita is what I munch on in tiny bites, many nights. Now I really want to see a photo of your grandmother!!! Try it with almond meal… tell me what you think…