Cocktails
Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate
Difficulty:
Hard
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour
A rich and creamy spiked hot chocolate with an added blast of heat! The spice comes from dehydrating our Hot Chili Peppers and grinding them into a flavorful homemade chili powder. It’s the perfect happy hour treat for those cold winter months.
- 6 Hot Chili Peppers drained and stems removed
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus more for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coffee liqueur such as Kahlua
- Whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250°F and place the drained and stemmed Mezzetta® Hot Chili Peppers on a small baking sheet and allow them to dry out in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Using a spiced grinder or a mortar and pestle, crush the Mezzetta® Hot Chili Peppers into a powder and set aside 1 tablespoon. Store the remaining powder in an airtight container in a cool dry place or use the powder to make another batch of hot chocolate.
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and carefully scrape out the seeds using a paring knife.
- Add the vanilla bean seeds to a medium sauce pot along with the reserved tablespoon of Mezzetta® Hot Chili Pepper powder, sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, cinnamon, whole milk, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk in the chocolate chips, a handful at a time, until melted and add the coffee liqueur.
- Serve immediately topped with whipped cream and a dusting of extra cocoa powder.
- Enjoy!
