Champurrado (Thick Mexican Masa Hot Chocolate)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The richest cup of hot chocolate you can make: masa harina gives it the silky, spoon-coating body of a thin atole, while a Mexican chocolate tablet plus a little bittersweet chocolate keeps the flavour deep and faintly cinnamon-spiced. Piloncillo melts into caramel sweetness and a whisk does the work of a traditional molinillo. Twenty-five minutes on the stove, no lumps, no fuss.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour for tortillas)
• 1 1/2 cups cold water

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 stick Mexican cinnamon (canela) or regular cinnamon stick
• 1 star star anise (optional)
• 3 oz Mexican drinking chocolate tablet, chopped (about 1 disc)
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate (70%), chopped
• 3 oz piloncillo, chopped, or 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• lightly sweetened whipped cream
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• pinch of cayenne or ancho chile powder

Instructions

1. Whisk the masa harina into the 1 1/2 cups cold water in a bowl or measuring jug until completely smooth, about 1 minute. It should look like thin pancake batter with no dry pockets. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a second bowl, pressing any small lumps through with a spoon. Set aside — whisk again right before using, since it settles fast.
2. In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, combine the milk, 1 cup water, cinnamon stick and star anise. Warm over medium heat until steam rises and small bubbles form at the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes; do not let it boil over. Reduce heat to medium-low and steep 5 minutes.
3. Add the chopped Mexican chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, piloncillo, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat until every piece has melted and the liquid is glossy and uniform, 4 to 5 minutes. Piloncillo takes the longest — press stubborn pieces against the side of the pan with the whisk.
4. Re-whisk the masa slurry, then pour it into the pan in a slow, steady stream while whisking hard and continuously. Whisking during the pour is the whole trick to a lump-free cup.
5. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, whisking or stirring across the bottom of the pan every 20 to 30 seconds. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the champurrado thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and no longer tastes chalky or raw — that raw-corn flavour disappearing is your doneness cue. It should be pourable but noticeably body-heavy, like melted ice cream.
6. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Fish out the cinnamon stick and star anise. If you want it thinner, whisk in hot milk 2 tablespoons at a time; if you want it thicker, simmer 2 to 3 minutes more.
7. For the frothy top, whisk vigorously for 30 seconds (or roll a molinillo between your palms) right before serving. Pour into warm mugs, top with whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon, and add a whisper of chile powder if you like a little heat at the back of the throat.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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