Champurrado for a Cozy Morning
Introduction
In December 2003, Ed Levine blew the lid off Gotham’s best hot chocolates. It was a relatively short list of thick, rich and unctuously chocolatey concoctions that tasted more like the syrup squeezed out from between two molten Hershey bars than your everyday cocoa. One of them, the Mexican hot chocolate from Jacques Torres’s DUMBO Chocolate Shop. Then, while I was living by the Brooklyn waterfront and biking up Furman Street to work every day (braving a powerful wind-tunnel), this chocolatey treat kept me ticking over. Not with the heat, and just a bit of spice that gave me almost chills thinking I was outside in a cold breeze.
Making
Champurrado for a Cozy Morning— I am obsessed, it has made my previous hot chocolates elusive in comparison. Atole de Maíz is very traditional in Mexico; it is a corn meal hot drink with the flavor of Mexican chocolate, milk, cinnamon and piloncillo (a kind of raw cane sugar). Masa harina combined with water creates a thick, creamy cocoa-textured liquid. For the fall and winter months,Champurrado for a Cozy Morning is a tasty thick hot drink that offers just another option for people tired of normal thin liquidy chocolate.
A thicker, milkier version of your usual hot chocolate Auro Candy & Artisans/AnneChurchUnlike conventional American-style hot cocoa (which is rather thin and watery in comparison), Champurrado for a Cozy Morning makes a creamer comparable to the Italian sipping chocolates that many westerners have come to appreciate.med —Idealistic Rebel 🍃🌹گردابهای کنج خلوتDevelopment values potential solutions more than abstractideasmedium.com. It comes in additional flavor options like cloves or even peanut, giving it some extra charm to the more experimental hot drinkers.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water divided
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 oz piloncillo about 1 piece of piloncillo
- 4 cups whole milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 tablets Mexican chocolate about 4.5 oz
- 1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
- pinch of salt optional
Pro Tips
An immersion blender can be a Champurrado for a Cozy Morning game-changer. Again, it just helps to get that frothy texture much faster than a molinillo does And I mean most of us[at least in the states] probably don’t have one. By doing this, you ensure that your Champurrado for a Cozy Morning is no longer grainy and the lumps of corn flour are eliminated. For a creamier consistency, whisking fast and hard while it cooks will give you similar results as the molinillo.
Now let me tell you if your champurrado is grainy don´t worry. Continue to mix until smooth or blend with an immersion blender. You are going to want it smooth and creamy so you can drink properly. Non-dairy milk- If you choose to have the dairy-free option, substitute Dairy Milk with Almond Milk. For a totally vegan option, use your favorite soy or coconut milk and either Tazabrand Mexican chocolate (vegan),or start here by trying the brand Ibarra.
Pro Tip: No piloncillo on hand, feel free to use dark brown sugar instead. Or, for a sweet match made in heaven, dunk some pan dulce — such as conchas or orejas (palmiers) — into your Champurrado for a Cozy Morning. Great way to take your champurrado recipe up a notch.
Instructions
Begin by toasting masa harina in a skillet until it is an adjunct beige color and imparts a nutty fragrance. Combine this with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth, then keep aside. Bring the 1 cup water to a boil and in arch earthenware casserole or crock, break up and dissolve the light-brown sugar on heat with stick cinnamon. Add milk to the mixture once it begins steaming, followed by Mexican chocolate. If you like a stronger cinnamon taste, leave the stick in and add it later. Stir often to make sure the chocolate melts completely and doesn’t become scorch on the bottom.
When the chocolate is fully dissolved, add in masa harina and let it simmer on a low setting for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you are using the cinnamon stick, this is about where you can put it back in. Once the Champurrado for a Cozy Morning has thickened, add a drop of vanilla extract and another pinch of salt if preferred. Blending — Using an immersion blender creates a similar action to what the molinillo produces resulting in velvet smooth foam. II hot, creamy velvety!
Feel free to make substitutions where you need, however… piloncillo subbs well with dark brown sugar and Mexican chocolate can be found in the Hispanic food aisle or specialty stores, but if all else fails there is always online shopping! For a non-dairy version use almond milk and if you want to make this vegan, try using Taza or Ibarra Vegan Mexican Chocolate in place of the traditional chocolate bars. Just keep whisking away to avoid any clumping and obtain the silkiest texture possible.
