Mexican Hot Chocolate – 2 Ways

Mexican Hot Chocolate – 2 Ways ~ Homemade Mexican hot chocolate made using three simple ingredients: milk, dark chocolate, and cinnamon; then topped with cinnamon whipped cream.

Spike with cinnamon whiskey for the adults. One version for everyone and another for the over 21 set.

Ah Mexican Hot Chocolate. Ever had it? If not, you’ve absolutely been missing out. Rich, dark chocolate warmed slowly in milk with cinnamon…yeah, that’s the stuff right there.

I’ve had this delicious beverage every holiday season for as long as I can remember, both at my great grandma’s and then at every Christmas Eve party Mom2 threw.

Then suddenly I stopped having it. Did I become too cool for this childhood favorite? Did it just stop being around? I really don’t know.

It just sort of disappeared from my life. Until a few years ago. I was feeling nostalgic, wanting some of those dishes from holidays past.

Since I live so far from my family, Elizabeth doesn’t get to see or spend a lot of time with them. She knows her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  But she truly misses out on many of the traditions I grew up with by having family all around.

It’s my job to help her connect to her family and the family traditions of my childhood. One way I try to do this is with food.

That probably sounds silly, but when I recreate dishes that my maternal grandmother would make or Mom2 would make, and then when we visit them, she can have an instant connection to them through food.

Now that the weather has turned cold, hot chocolate almost gets made daily. When Elizabeth asked me to make it again the other day, I decided it was time to introduce her to the hot chocolate of my childhood holidays.

However, I did not have any Nestle Abuelita on hand, the brick-like base I have always used to make it. No problem. I did have several packages of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels, milk, and cinnamon. You can’t get any more authentically made than this.

After the first batch was made, we couldn’t stop. After three batches, we stopped, but only because I ran out of supplies and needed to run back to the store. It was a hit with my friends and most importantly, with Elizabeth. But I suspect she mostly enjoyed the whipped cream on top.

How to Spike Hot Chocolate

Now the adults who sipped this Mexican hot chocolate got a kicked up version. I added 2 ounces of cinnamon whiskey to their mugs. I think I prefer this grown up version, but the ‘unleaded’ version is equally delicious. Please drink responsibly.

I opted to use NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels with 53% cacao real dark chocolate over the even darker NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Bittersweet Chocolate Morsels with 62% cacao to avoid having to add additional sugar.

However, those with a real sweet tooth might want to add a bit of sugar to the recipe anyway. If you don’t want to make whipped cream, you can use the stuff in a can and sprinkle with cinnamon, anyway you go, it will be delicious.

This is a great recipe to make for any party, you can keep it warm by keeping it in your slow cooker, just give it a quick stir before ladling it out.  I hope you and your family enjoy this Mexican hot chocolate as much as me and my family do.

If you love  NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® like I do, check out their Facebook and Pinterest Pages for inspiration on how you can use their products in your favorite recipes or simply get inspired to make your own creative take on a classic.

Holiday Party Drinks

Blackberry Sparkle

Bourbon Grape Rickey

Chocolate Raspberry Mocha Shots

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Latte

Cherry Orange Sangria

Mexican Hot Chocolate-2 Ways

Course: Beverage/Cocktail

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beverage, chocolate, cinnamon, milk

Servings: 4

Author: Michelle De La Cerda

Homemade Mexican hot chocolate made using three simple ingredients: milk, dark chocolate, and cinnamon; then topped with cinnamon whipped cream.

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Ingredients

• 1-10 oz bag NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels
• 1/2- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 7 cups milk

Over 21 version

• 2 oz cinnamon whiskey per mug

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add the chocolate morsels, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the milk. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly.

2. Once the chocolate has melted, slowly pour in the remaining milk, stirring in completely before adding more.

3. After the milk is incorporated, allow to warm through and serve or transfer to a slow cooker and keep on warm.

Whipped cream

1. Add the whipped cream to a mixer and mix on medium-high, slowly add the remaining ingredients.
2. Mix forever, literally, until the whip cream has reached the desired consistency. The longer it mixes, the thicker it will be.
3. Add a dollop or two to the top of each mug, serve and enjoy.

Thank you for sharing!