Mayan Hot Cocoa

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (i used the dutch brand, droste)
• 1 teaspoon flour or 1 teaspoon wondra flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 whole cloves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper, crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken up
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water) (optional) or 1 teaspoon wondra flour (dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 sift the cocoa powder and flour.
• 2 measure out 4 cups of milk. from the 4 cups of milk, slowly whisk about 1/4 cup of it, a little more if necessary, into the cocoa/flour mix until it becomes a paste. if you add milk too fast, you get clumpy cocoa. if that happens, use a hand blender to smooth it out.
• 3 when all the cocoa and flour are a paste (no more dry flour,) add the remaining spices (sugar, nutmeg, cloves, peppers, and cinnamon).
• 4 heat the rest of the 4 cups of milk in a double-boiler or a saucepan over medium.
• 5 add the cocoa/flour/spices mix to the hot milk in the double-boiler. stir constantly to keep it from burning.
• 6 if you prefer a slightly thicker drink, you can add the optional cornstarch/water mixture now. continue stirring on the heat until it's to your desired thickness. not too long; you don't want to be forced to use a knife and fork. ;d.
• 7 when the cocoa is ready (it takes about 10-15 minutes until the flavor and heat level are *just right*), strain the cocoa in a fine sieve to remove the cloves and cinnamon pieces. (careful, it could splatter - i found out last night. *grrr*) then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir.
• 8 if you like, you can put whipped cream on top, add small marshmallows, or add a stick of cinnamon for stirring.