Mexican Hot Chocolate (Using Store-Bought Tablets)
Lynley Jones
This is a recipe to make Mexican hot chocolate from disks of store-bought Mexican chocolate. Check out How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate for a complete how-to including a Mexican chocolate buying guide, tips for frothing your chocolate like a pro, alternatives if you can’t find Mexican chocolate, and more.
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
Mexican Hot Chocolate with my molinillo at the Adventure Kitchen.
4 cups milk (whole milk makes the best froth)
1 thick tablet of Mexican chocolate such as Ibarra
- or -
2 thin tablets of Taza Mexican chocolate
Instructions
1. Put the milk in a medium-sized saucepan, partially covered, over medium heat. Heat until the milk is steaming hot but not boiling, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
2. As the milk warms, break the chocolate tablet(s) into small pieces. When the milk is steaming hot, stir the chocolate into it with a wire whisk or molinillo (see notes). Continue to whisk occasionally as the chocolate fully melts, 5-10 minutes. (Keep the pot partially covered whenever you’re not stirring.)
3. When the chocolate has fully melted into the milk, you’re ready to froth it and serve. Spin a wire whisk or molinillo between your hands to create a froth on top of the milk in the pot (as in the picture). Ladle into individual cups and spoon enough froth on top of each cup to cover.
Using my wooden molinillo to froth Mexican Hot Chocolate in one of my cooking classes. If you don’t have this special Mexican tool, a wire whisk works great as well.
Notes:
The froth is the classic topping for Mexican hot chocolate, so don’t skip that step! Children in Mexico clamor for good froth on top (there’s even a song about it!), so it’s an important part of the drink. Don’t worry if you don’t have a wooden molinillo as shown in the picture. A wire whisk works just fine to make a great froth.
If you’re new to making Mexican Hot Chocolate, definitely check out How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate for lots of background and details, including insights into choosing chocolate for your drink.
If you can’t find Mexican chocolate, you can make try the “Scratch” Mexican Hot Chocolate alternative recipe, to get the same flavors with more easily-accessible ingredients.