Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

This recipe might be kind of wintery given the nice weather we’re finally getting, but hot chocolate actually reminds me of summer.

I used to drink it on cold mornings in Maine, where my family vacationed every year. Every morning in Maine is cold, and the water is always freezing, but the beaches are beautiful so they get away with it.

My family always went for morning walks on the beach, and we’d stop for coffee and hot chocolate at this place that didn’t require anyone to wear shoes. Again, you can pretty much get away with anything in Maine.

The highlight of my entire day happened before 8am because of this hot chocolate. My mom was a health zealot who rarely let us eat sugar,so Swiss Miss was liquid gold to me at the time.

I don’t know that I’d be so impressed by a packet of instant hot chocolate these days, but I’m in love with homemade Mexican hot chocolate. It’s like eating hot, spicy ice cream – two things which you would actually never want your ice cream to be, but that somehow work in this drink.

This hot chocolate is rich in both texture and flavor, and it should be served in small portions. Instant hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts might come in a 72 oz cup, but that would be most unnecessary for this. (If you’re reading this from NYC, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about, because you guys aren’t allowed to drink large cups of anything anyway.)

I used Taza stone ground chocolate for this drink. Taza is a chocolate company located in Boston that makes authentic Mexican chocolate. It has a gritty, crumbly texture that is unlike any chocolate I’ve ever eaten. It’s amazing, and they sell it at Whole Foods all over the country. If you happen to be local, you should visit their store in Somerville and take a tour of the factory.

They make spicy flavors like cinnamon, chipotle chile, and guajillo chile – any of which would be perfect for this recipe.

Enjoy!