Get ready for a party in your mouth! This Mexican Cocoa recipe is a delicious blend of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. This Mexican hot chocolate has layers of flavor to it. And the little extra spot of heat from the cayenne pepper is very welcome to those of us who live in the high dessert and are already experiencing below freezing temperatures!
Mexican hot chocolate has a bolder chocolate flavor and is a little less sweet than traditional cocoa. Some people melt unsweetened chocolate bark when they make Mexican Cocoa, but I use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
because it has a bold chocolate flavor without the extra work. Since cocoa doesn’t need to be melted in a double boiler, it speeds up the process.
The chocolate and sugar really do balance out the cinnamon and cayenne pepper, but if you are worried about the heat, you can reduce the cayenne pepper to an 1/8 of a teaspoon.
I like to top my Mexican cocoa with homemade whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, and use a cinnamon stick as a stir stick. To make cinnamon sugar combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to 3 teaspoons of sugar and mix well. After you have filled up the cups with hot chocolate, top with whipped cream, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and then add a cinnamon stick if you have one.
- 4 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- Place 1 cup of the milk to a medium saucepan.
- Cook over a medium flame until the milk just begins to simmer.
- Add cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and cayenne powder to the milk.
- Whisk until cocoa, sugar, spices and milk are thoroughly combined.
- Slowly add remaining 3 cups of milk, whisking to combine.
- Cook over a low flame until the hot chocolate is warmed through.
- Serve immediately.
- Optional: Top with whip cream, cinnamon sugar, and use a cinnamon stick as a stir stick.
More Hot Cocoa Recipes:
Candy Cane Hot Cocoa – An Easy Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe
Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate – with 4 Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa Recipe Variations
How to Set Up a Hot Cocoa Bar – Plus 10 Hot chocolate Recipes
What is your favorite way to drink hot chocolate?
Jamie says
That looks so yummy!!! So glad that I saw this at the #HomeMattersParty – Pinned it to try!
Audrey says
Mmmm! my MIL makes a great chocolate cookie with cayenne in it. This is the same idea but in a mug. Congratulations on your #HomeMattersParty feature.
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
Hey, Alea! Just wanted to let you know that we loved your Mexican Cocoa – A Spicy Hot Chocolate Recipe so much when you shared it at the #HomeMattersParty last week, we’ve FEATURED it THIS WEEK! Hope you can check it out when you get a sec! Happy Friday!!! http://lifewithlorelai.com/2016/01/07/home-matters-linky-party-68/
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai / Home Matters Linky Party
Tara Siudy (Little Miss Dexterous) says
LOVE this recipe! Pinning and shared! You have a new facebook follower as well! 🙂
– Little Miss Dexterous
Linda says
Printing this out for our hot chocolate maker, Meg to make thise for us. Know we are going to love the extra kick! Merry Christmas, Linda
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I like the touch of spice in this cocoa. I can use a cup of this right now as I wait for my new 30′ inches of snow to melt.
Mary @ Goodie Godmother says
This sounds delicious! We love Mexican hot chocolate. Also, you and I almost shared a china pattern, we were between this one and the Waterford we eventually picked almost 9 years ago when the Godfather and I got married. 😉
swathi says
Delicious spicy hot chocolate Alea, love it.