In this recipe, children will try Mexican hot chocolate. Trying new flavors and foods is one of the tastiest ways to explore new cultures. While many children are probably familiar with hot chocolate, this recipe presents a spicy twist. Cayenne and cinnamon pick up on some of the traditional flavors of Mexico that have been an important part of drinking chocolate for hundreds of years. By trying something familiar but different, children have the opportunity to compare Mexican hot chocolate to the hot chocolate that they might know. Mexican hot chocolate is a tasty treat to try with your classroom!

Video Suggestion:
Watch Mexican Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean with your class before trying this tasty treat! Then, watch Chocolate Song with students while they sip their hot chocolate!

Here are two options for creating Mexican hot chocolate:

Option 1: From Scratch

This recipe is an approximation of what a traditional Mexican hot chocolate recipe is like. We suggest assembling the recipe before class in a crockpot to keep warm. Serves 12 (half cups)

Children Will Have Experience:

• Relating a food to a culture
• Trying new things
• Following instructions

Materials: 

Ingredients: 

• 6 C milk (whole is best, but feel free to experiment--vanilla soy milk may be a great substitute!)
• 3/4 C cocoa powder (traditional Mexican hot choclate actually uses chunks of unsweetened chocolate, but these can be hard to find in a grocery store)
• 1 T cinnamon
• 3/4 t cayenne pepper
• 2 T sugar
• cinnamon sticks (optional, for stirring)

Additional Materials:

• crockpot
• class supply of cups
• Let's Go Luna! clips Mexican Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean and Chocolate Song
• screen to view videos

Prep:

Pour in milk. Turn crockpot on low, make sure to not let the milk boil. Once the milk is warm to the touch, stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and sugar. Check to taste--it should be a bit spicy. Keep warm. 

Set up screen and Let's Go Luna! Mexican Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean video.

Set up pouring station with crockpot, cinnamon sticks, and cups in the classroom.

Classroom Activity for Crockpot

1. Talk to students about how different paces from around the world eat different foods. Tell them they will be watching a video about chocolate. Ask if anyone has tried chocolate before.
2. Have students watch the Let's Go Luna! clips Mexican Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean and Chocolate Song.
3. After watching the videos, ask students where they thought the story was happening (Mexico City). Ask if they remember what song was about (an Aztec King who loved chocolate so much he had cocoa trees planted everywhere).
4. Tell students that they will be trying a special kind of hot chocolate like the one they saw Andy, Leo, and Carmen drink. Ask students if they have tried hot chocolate before. What did it taste like? Was it sweet?
5. Have them come up to the crockpot and give each student a half-cup of the hot chocolate. 
6. After the class has been served, ask them if they like the hot chocolate. Ask them if they think it tastes the same as other hot chocolate they may have tasted. If not, what flavor is different? Does it taste spicy?
7. Watch the Chocolate Song again while students drink their hot chocolate.

 

Option 2: Classroom Friendly

This recipe is less authentic, but still has some of the traditional Mexican flavors and can be easily done with students in class.

Children Will Have Experience:

• Relating a food to a culture
• Trying new things
• Following instructions
• Measuring with teaspoons and nontraditional measurements

Supplies:

Ingredients:

• Amount suggested per serving of hot chocolate mix (any instant mix will do)
• 1 small shake of cayenne pepper
• 1 big shake, 1 small shake of cinnamon
• class set of cinnamon sticks (optional, for stirring--otherwise have spoons)

Additional Materials:

• table spoon
• class supply of cups
• water
• tea kettle or other way to heat water

Prep:

Set up a table with ingredients and cups.

Set up screen and Let's Go Luna! Mexcian Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean video.

Classroom Activity for Classroom Friendly Recipe

1. Talk to students about how different people from around the world eat different foods. Tell them they will be watching a video about chocolate. Ask if anyone has tried hot chocolate before. 
2. Have students watch the Let's Go Luna! clips Mexican Hot Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean and Chocolate Song.
3. After watching the video, ask students where they thought the story was happening (Mexico City). Ask if they remember what song was about (an Aztec King who loved chocolate so much he had cocoa trees planted everywhere).
4. Tell students that they will be trying a special kind of hot chocolate like the one they saw Andy, Carmen, and Leo drink in the video. Ask them if they have tried hot chocolate before. What did it taste like? Was it sweet?
5. Have them come up in small groups and teach them how to make the hot chocolate. Show them what a "big" shake and a "small" shake looks like before they make their hot chocolate. After they have put in all the ingredients, help them with the hot water. Have them stir the hot chocolate with the cinnamon sticks or spoons. 
6. After the class has been served, ask the students if they like the hot chocolate. Ask them if they think it tastes the same as other hot chocolate they've tried before. If not, what flavor is different? Does it taste spicy?
7. Watch the Chocolate Song again while students drink their hot chocolate.