Spiced Masa Drinking Chocolate

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A thick, spoon-coating cup of drinking chocolate built the old way: toasted masa harina whisked into spiced milk with dark chocolate and piloncillo. Canela, star anise and a whisper of ancho give it warmth and a slow, smoky finish, while the masa turns it into something closer to a dessert you sip. One saucepan, no molinillo required.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour for tortillas)
• 1 1/2 cups cold water

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican canela
• 1 star anise pod
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded and torn into 3 pieces
• 3 oz piloncillo, chopped (or 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar)
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (65–72%), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• ground cinnamon, for dusting
• flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Whisk the masa harina with the 1 1/2 cups cold water in a bowl or measuring cup until completely smooth and no dry lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Set aside; it will settle, so whisk again right before you use it.
2. Set a dry medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and torn ancho chile and toast, shaking the pan, for 60 to 90 seconds, until the spices smell fragrant and the chile is pliable and just starting to darken. Do not let the chile scorch or it will turn bitter.
3. Pour the milk into the pan with the spices. Add the piloncillo and salt. Heat over medium, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the milk is steaming and small bubbles form at the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep 10 minutes.
4. Strain the infused milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the spices and chile. Return the milk to the saucepan and set over medium-low heat.
5. Add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Whisk constantly until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is glossy and uniform with no cocoa specks, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Whisk the masa slurry to recombine, then pour it into the pan in a slow, steady stream while whisking hard. Keep whisking to prevent lumps on the bottom.
7. Cook over medium-low, whisking almost constantly and scraping the corners of the pan, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the drink thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and no longer tastes chalky or raw. It should just barely simmer; adjust the heat down if it sputters.
8. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Taste and adjust: add 1 to 2 tablespoons more piloncillo or brown sugar if you want it sweeter, or thin with a splash of hot milk if it is thicker than you like. It thickens further as it sits.
9. Pour into four warm mugs. Top with soft whipped cream if using and dust with ground cinnamon and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve immediately, with a spoon.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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