Make sure you don’t skip the last part of this classic—the wonderful frothiness is one of the two things that make Mexican hot chocolate special (the cinnamon is the other). For a great dessert, serve this with Churros (page 655). The chocolate sold in Mexican stores for hot chocolate already contains cinnamon and sugar, so you can just melt it with some milk and beat until frothy. You can actually make it with water if you like, and it isn’t half bad.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Chop the chocolate if necessary and combine it with the milk and cinnamon if you’re using it in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the pod and seeds or the vanilla extract if you’re using it. Simmer, stirring, until the chocolate is melted.
Step 2
Remove the pan from the heat. Using a molinillo (a Mexican chocolate beater), a wire whisk, an immersion blender, or an electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture well until frothy. You can also put the mixture in a blender and (carefully!) pulse until frothy. Reheat if necessary and serve immediately.
