Cinnamon is our ingredient of the season. You can find our full archive of cinnamon posts here.
This is another one of those recipes that I knew I wanted to try… I just had to wait for our first snowstorm. Oh man, we’re still waiting for that snow, but I couldn’t wait anymore to sip a warm and spicy mug of Mexican hot chocolate.
Mexican Hot Chocolate History
In preparation for this post, I wanted to learn more about the history of Mexican hot chocolate. This is in no way a comprehensive history, but here’s what I’ve learned.
As far back as 500 BC, Mayans were grinding up cocoa seeds and drinking a savory chocolate drink that included chili peppers. Some historical reports mention vanilla being used as an ingredient. Those are crucial components to the Mexican hot chocolate recipe, but where’s the sugar and cinnamon?
Spanish explorers took chocolate back to Europe in the 1500s. In the 1700s, drinking chocolate was popular in London tea houses. The English added milk to their chocolate. Europeans also began sweetening the chocolate with sugar. They also added cinnamon to the drink, a spice that made its way to Europe in the spice trade from Asia.
So, bottom line, the drink this delicious drink had to travel half way across the world to become what it is today. Delicious.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
This recipe makes a very simple and delicious mug of hot chocolate. The cinnamon comes through beautifully. With just a hint of cayenne, you can feel the heat but it doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the drink.
I used some Abuelita chocolate because that’s what we had in the kitchen. This is a pretty basic chocolate, but there are many quality chocolates out there that you could use.
- 1 Abuelita chocolate, adjust to taste
- 8 oz whole milk
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne pepper
Place all ingredients in a sauce pot and warm over medium heat, whisking regularly as the chocolate melts and the milk warms. Once hot with the chocolate fully melted, remove from the heat and enjoy.
My favorite single-serving hot chocolate pot (works well for golden milk too!). Need a fun mug? This one surprises everyone because they think it’s basic until they look a bit closer.