Mexican Hot Chocolate (Atole Champurrado) is a deliciously spiced drinking chocolate so thick and rich you’ll need a spoon!
Mexican Hot Chocolate (Atole Champurrado) is the ultimate hot cocoa
The Mexicans really ‘own’ chocolate more than any other culture. The cacao bean originated in Mexico and South America, and chocolate’s been consumed there for centuries. So really, this is the granddaddy of all hot chocolates. It’s flavored with cinnamon, star anise, and Mexican chocolate, but gets its velvety pudding-like consistency from masa harina.
What you’ll need:
- cinnamon
- star anise
- masa harina
- Mexican chocolate
- milk
- brown sugar
You can find tablets of Mexican chocolate in the international aisle of the supermarket. It’s mixed with various spices, and sugar, and has sort of a grainy texture when you cut into it. The licorice flavored star anise is common in Eastern cuisines, but here it’s more of a specialty spice. Keep an eye out for it, but if you can’t find it, don’t worry, just use the cinnamon. I’ve talked a lot about masa harina, the finely ground corn meal made from lime treated hominy. You should find it either in the International aisle, or with the grains and flours. Don’t substitute corn meal, that won’t work.
This is a very distinctive hot chocolate, probably unlike anything you’ve ever had.
If you’re used to hot chocolate out of a packet, you owe it to your self to try this. This is like a thick chocolate porridge. Almost breakfast in itself.
I adore hot chocolate drinks of all kinds, especially once the weather turns chilly. Here are a few of my other favorites:
- Drinkable Nutella~ a decadent sippable version of your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread.
- The Ultimate Hot Chocolate ~ the classic, stepped up a notch.
- French Press Breakfast Chocolate
Chocolate Atole, Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 anise star
- 1/8 cup masa harina
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablet Mexican chocolate, about 3 oz
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Bring the water, cinnamon stick and anise to a simmer in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.
- Remove the spices and turn the heat back on under the saucepan. Whisk in the masa harina, and when it is combined, add the milk, chocolate and sugar.
- Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, whisking often. The mixture will come to a boil and thicken, When it is thick and smooth, pour in mugs. You will need a spoon!
Notes
HOW MANY CUPS DOES THIS RECIPE MAKE??? I NEED THIS ASAP PLEASE!!
Se llama Champurrado…:)
Beautiful! Where on earth did you find those fantastic cups?
Thrift store!
Looks sooo thick and delicious. I used to get drinking chocolate all the time in Italy in the winter and it was outrageously thick and so so good. I miss it. This looks incredible.
Amazing. I could just stand there at the counter and drink instead of dinner. (chocolate that is :)…also…kept wondering why you weren’t showing up in my blog roll, then I realized I had left out “the” from the title and had someone’s old blog…I am about to fix this…I need to be up to date on you!!!!
I just love your series on hot chocolates! I’m going to read the rest now. I’ve never heard of a combination like this one with the masa harina and the anise star. Ummm…I can only imagine the flavors of this!