Mayan Hot Chocolate
Mayan Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
4 c. milk
½ c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. flour
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ tsp. nutmeg
3 whole cloves, crushed
¼ tsp. chili pepper, crushed
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
2 tsp. powdered sugar
1½ tsp.vanilla
Preparation:
Sift cocoa powder and flour to combine. SLOWLY whisk about ¼ c. of the milk (or slightly more) into cocoa/flour mix until it becomes a paste. Cocoa will clump if milk is added too fast. When all the cocoa and flour are a wet paste, add sugar, nutmeg, cloves, peppers, and cinnamon. Heat the remainder of the milk in a saucepan (or double-boiler if you worry about burning) over medium heat. Stir cocoa-spice mixture to the milk once it’s warm and heat through, approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly. When heat level and flavor of the cocoa suit your taste, remove from stove and strain through a fine sieve to remove cloves and cinnamon pieces, being careful of splatter. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick stirrer.
