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Chocolate Recipes for Kids

Mexican Hot Chocolate
The perfect drink for a cold winter’s day, this hot chocolate is similar to the flavorful version of the beverage that the Spanish invented more than 400 years ago. (The Spanish conquerors of Mexico weren’t much impressed with the native Aztec people’s bitter brew, so they added sugar and other spices that the Aztecs had never seen.)

And as with any recipe that requires the use of an oven or stove, children should always be supervised by parents—besides, it’s fun to cook together! Or, if you like, you can purchase pre-sweetened and spiced Mexican chocolate in tablet form from many specialty grocery stores.

Ingredients:

	1/2 cup water
	3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
	2 cups milk
	1 teaspoon cinnamon
	1/8 teaspoon almond extract (scant)

Instructions:

1)	Bring the water to a boil in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Then remove it from the heat and add the chocolate. After one minute, begin whisking the chocolate until it has completely melted.
2)	Place the saucepan over medium high heat and gradually whisk in the milk, cinnamon, and almond flavoring. Cook the mixture until it comes to a full boil, whisking frequently. Lift the pan off the burner until the bubbling subsides. Then replace the pan and bring it back to boil again, repeating this process three times in total.
3)	Lower the heat and let it simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The chocolate should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat.
4)	Using an electric mixer, a blender, or even a molinillo (moh lin EE oh), beat the chocolate until the surface is covered with a thick cap of foam. Pour and serve in cups immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Elaine González.

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