Spiced hot chocolate

As the days get shorter and Halloween approaches, we finally get hints of Fall weather here in Texas. It can still reach 80 degrees and higher during the day, but those early mornings start flirting with a chill, and as the sun dips earlier and earlier at night, we bring the blankets and sweaters out of hiding, knowing we’ll be reaching for them soon.

I love that the chill comes right at Halloween, ushering us on to Dia de los Meurtos, the Day of the Dead. During this time, we celebrate the joy of cooler weather, the magic of costume and disguise, and the lives and loves of the past and future.

It’s a time of the unexpected, a mix of sweet, of sorrow, of comfort and of action. It bring to mind the spicy, sweet and decadent treat of spiced hot chocolate.

Gather your ingredients

Makes 4 Servings

• 3 cups of milk—cashew and oat milk work great here because of their thickness, or you can go with whole.

• 4 cinnamon sticks, crushed to a gravel-like consistency

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar OR a mix of 2 tbsp high-quality cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons demerara or granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, plus more for serving

• Lightly sweetened whipped cream (for serving)

Make the hot chocolate

• Add the crushed cinnamon to an infusion filter (or pull it out with a sieve later).

• In a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, add the milk and cinnamon and heat on medium low until the milk begins to steam. Don’t bring it to a boil or the milk will burn.

• Add the chopped bittersweet chocolate and stir constantly until melted.

• When just melted, add the remain ingredients, expect for the whipped cream.

• Stir everything together until the chocolate milk is smooth and creamy.

• Divide into four mugs and top with whipped cream and a hint more cayenne.

Sip while watching a spooky movie, telling tales of the ancestors, or handing out treats to the nieghborhood ghosts.