Mexican Hot Chocolate

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous concoction called Mexican Hot Chocolate. My first thought when I heard the name was, "Do you put jalapeños in the hot chocolate?" Yuck. 

I found a recipe on Pinterest that explained how to make Mexican hot chocolate and how it got it's name. Being the hot chocolate enthusiast I am, I had to try to make it myself. I have a homemade hot chocolate that I make often every winter, so I just changed it up a bit to give it a bit of South of the Border flavor. Cinnamon (I grind cinnamon sticks for this recipe) Nutmeg and a pinch of Cayenne takes this hot chocolate to the next level.  Fresh ground cinnamon will give you a stronger flavor and more spice, but you don't have to be an overachiever like me. 

The Cast and Crew:

1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa powder 
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon of Mexican vanilla
pinch of cayenne pepper
Mini Marshmallows or Coconut Whipped Cream to garnish

Begin by heating 1 cup of water to a boil. Add in the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (I sift mine so there are no lumpies). Yes, I said lumpies. Continue to stir until the cocoa is fully melted into the water. Add in the 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to stir. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, Mexican vanilla, and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir. You will stir A LOT with this recipe. 

Once all of the spices are combined into the mixture, remove from heat and add in you sweetened condensed milk. It will become thick at this point, but it will thin back out once you add the whole milk. Add in the 2 cups of whole milk and stir. Once the milk has warmed up slowly by mixing with everything, you can return the hot chocolate to the burner on a low heat setting. Do not heat the milk up quickly or you will cause it to curdle. You can allow it to heat for as long as you need on low and stir occasionally. 

Ladle the chocolate into your favorite mug and top it with marshmallows or something I like to call a little spoonful of heaven- Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe below).

Coconut Whipped Cream

The Cast and Crew:

1 can of Coconut Milk (not light)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Refrigerate your can of coconut milk overnight or freeze it for about an hour. This will cause it to separate and the cream will rise to the top, so make sure to not shake the can up when you remove it from the fridge. Open the can and scoop out the delicious cream off of the top of the liquid. 

Mix on medium speed in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer until soft peaks form. 

Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla to taste and continue to whip the mixture. You can adjust the sweetness to taste. You can store this whipped cream in a covered dish and it will keep for several days in the fridge. 
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