Oaxacan Hot Chocolate with Masa

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A frothy, water-forward drinking chocolate built the Oaxacan way: toasted almonds, canela and piloncillo ground into a rustic chocolate paste, then whisked hard until a thick cap of foam rises. A masa harina slurry gives it champurrado's silky, spoon-coating body so it drinks like a small meal on a cold morning. No molinillo required — a whisk and an immersion blender do the same work.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole raw almonds
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate (65–72%), chopped, or Mexican chocolate tablet
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp piloncillo, finely chopped, or dark brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground Mexican cinnamon (canela)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ancho chile powder (optional)

• 4 cups water, divided
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 canela (Mexican cinnamon) stick
• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• piloncillo or brown sugar, to taste

• ground canela, for dusting
• 2 tbsp toasted almonds, chopped (optional)
• flaky sea salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until they smell nutty and are lightly browned inside, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool completely on a plate — warm nuts will turn gummy in the grinder.
2. Grind the cooled almonds in a spice grinder or small food processor to a coarse meal, about 20 seconds. Add the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons piloncillo, ground canela, salt and ancho chile powder, and pulse in 3-second bursts until you have a slightly damp, sandy paste that clumps when pressed, about 45 seconds total. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of the water and the canela stick to a bare simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low and steep 5 minutes. Fish out the cinnamon stick.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the masa harina into the remaining 1 cup cold water in a bowl until completely smooth with no dry pockets — cold water is essential, or the masa will seize into lumps. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you see any.
5. Add the chocolate paste to the hot water and whisk over medium-low heat until fully melted and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the milk and warm until steaming, about 2 minutes more; do not let it boil hard or the chocolate can scorch on the bottom.
6. Stir the masa slurry once more, then pour it into the pot in a slow stream while whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low, whisking every 30 seconds and scraping the corners of the pan, until the drink thickens enough to coat a spoon and no raw-corn taste remains, 8 to 10 minutes. It should be pourable, like heavy cream — thin with a splash of hot water if it tightens too much.
7. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and taste. Add piloncillo or brown sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it tastes rounded but still faintly bitter; add a pinch more salt if the chocolate tastes flat.
8. Froth it: hold an immersion blender just below the surface and buzz for 20 to 30 seconds until a thick foam cap forms (or roll a molinillo between your palms for 1 minute, or pour the batch back and forth between two heatproof pitchers from a height, 6 to 8 times).
9. Pour into four warmed mugs, spooning the foam over the top. Dust with canela and scatter with chopped toasted almonds and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve immediately — the foam settles within a few minutes.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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