It’s cold outside- even in Texas (finally!). And it’s the start of the holiday season, which means lights are going up around the neighborhood and I’m sitting in a coffee shop wearing a sweater and scarf and writing this post whilst instrumental Christmas music plays in the background. It’s maximum cozy time. Which means you need a maximum cozy beverage to enjoy after putting up those lights outside, raking the last of those leaves, when you get home from hitting up all the holiday sales, or after decorating your tree. The solution? Spicy Mexican Maple and Molasses Hot Chocolate. Yummmmmmm. This will warm you to the core- it’s creamy and decadent, warm, and slightly spicy from the addition of just a teeny tiny bit of cayenne pepper and warming spices. Plus, there’s NO refined sugar- just real, natural maple syrup and blackstrap molasses to sweeten it up! If you’ve ever seen the movie Chocolat, you likely remember the scene when the main character helps soften a grumpy old woman’s (Judi Dench) temperament with a mugful of creamy hot chocolate with chili powder. Pairing cocoa and chili can be traced way back to the origins of drinking chocolate, during the time of the Aztecs and the Mayans in South America. The original beverage was bitter and spicy with no added sugar. This has evolved into a delicious sweet beverage- traditional Mexican hot chocolate contains warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, in addition to a teeny bit of chili powder. Also, Chocolat is an excellent movie and you should certainly see it if you haven’t already. You long-time readers of Bowl of Delicious may think this sounds familiar. Way back when my blog was a wee child, I wrote a post called Hot Chocolate (with a kick). This is the new and improved version, in more ways than one. For this Mexican hot chocolate, I stuck with pure maple syrup and a bit of molasses to make a rich, sweet beverage with no refined sugar (molasses and maple syrup both have nutritional benefits to them, unlike refined sugar which is just empty calories). I put whipped cream on this to serve. Partially because it looks pretty, but mostly because we had leftover whipped cream from Thanksgiving and I sure as heck wasn’t going to let it go to waste! Feel free to use or not use whipped cream as you see fit. Now go put on your flannel PJs, start a fire, and make this hot chocolate. It’s your recipe for maximum coziness. Enjoy! Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
