Mexican Hot Chocolate

It's been pretty chilly and grey here in Seattle lately and this kind of weather makes me want to do nothing more than skip school and curl up by the fire with a nice big mug of hot chocolate. While I can't get away with the skipping school part (boo :(), I can soothe my warm drink cravings!

The hot chocolate is creamy, spicy, and extremely comforting. Paired with the cinnamon whipped cream it is absolute heaven and perfect for the holiday season! Also, thanks to my adorable hot chocolate set complete with electric frother, it was super light and foamy. 

While this recipe may not be completely traditional (I really have no clue), this is my version of Mexican hot chocolate and I think it turned out pretty amazing if I do say so myself :).

Mexican Hot Chocolate

serves 2 (with lots of leftover whipped cream :P)

hot chocolate ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split down center
• tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (about 82g) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Heat the milk, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and cayenne in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce to low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring the heat back up to medium-high. When the milk begins to bubble around the sides turn the heat off and stir in the chocolate. Keep stirring until smooth.
3. Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. At this point I poured the mixture into my specialty hot chocolate vessel fitted with frother and frothed for a few seconds. If you don't have a frother, you can leave the mixture in the pan and use a whisk to froth.
4. Serve with a dollop the Cinnamon Whipped Cream (see below).

cinnamon whipped cream ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

1. Pour the cream into a chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
2. Add in the sugar and cinnamon and beat to stiff peaks.