Pies & Tarts

Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart

Rich dark chocolate with a hint of cinnamon and sweet marshmallows make Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart a reminder of cold winter nights by the fire.

A slice of Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart sits on a plate decorated with orange and blue flowers. The crust is a very dark chocolate and the filling is a dark, creamy chocolate. The tart is topped with toasted mini marshmallows.

When I was a kid growing up in Delaware, the winters were long and cold. I loved making hot chocolate as a treat to warm up after sledding or skating with my friends. I made mine extra creamy by heating up some whole milk and then adding the hot chocolate mix to that. Since most hot chocolate mix already contains dry milk, the result is 100 times better than making it with water.

After I moved to Texas a friend of mine introduced me to Mexican hot chocolate. It comes as a solid block of dark chocolate infused with cinnamon. You scald milk and then add the chocolate to it. As the chocolate melts, you whisk it into the hot milk resulting in a rich, cinnamony, chocolate drink that’s not too sweet.

Watching my friends post photos of the snow back home made me want a cup of Mexican hot chocolate but that’s not available in the stores here so I went scrounging in my pantry to see what I could make. Do you ever do that? Just stare at your pantry for ideas?

I happened to have a Green & Black’s 70% cocao bar, cream, eggs, marshmallows, and some left over chocolate cereal from Becky’s breakfasts. Since I also recently bought a small tart pan, I thought I’d try to recreate Mexican hot chocolate in tart form. I thought the breakfast cereal (chocolate Fiber One) would make a good base for the pastry. If you don’t have chocolate breakfast cereal, you can substitute chocolate wafer cookies.

A slice of Mexican hot chocolate tart sits on a white plate. The crust is dark chocolate and the filling is a creamy dark chocolate. The topping is toasted mini marshmallows.

Mexican hot chocolate is not your sweet kids drink but kids still love it. If you want authentic flavor, you need to start with dark chocolate. If you don’t have Green & Black’s, you can use Lindt or your favorite dark chocolate. I added miniature marshmallows on top to give a little sweetness.

Some Mexican hot chocolate recipes call for chili but I think that’s a more hipster addition. The Mexican hot chocolate in Texas grocery stores just has cinnamon so that’s what I added to my Mexican hot chocolate tart. If you want the zing of chili, use a Lindt Excellence Chili Dark Chocolate Bar instead of the plain chocolate or add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the filling. Either way, you’re going to love this Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart.

A slice of Mexican hot chocolate tart sits on a plate with orange and blue flowers. The dark chocolate crust is filled with creamy dark chocolate ganache and topped with toasted marshmallows. The background is black.

Yield: 1 tart

Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart

Mexican Hot Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup food processed chocolate cereal or chocolate cookies (fine crumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Filling

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 bar 70% chocolate (3.5 oz or 100 g), broken into pieces (I used Green & Black's)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

  • 1-2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

  1. Mix crust ingredients together and press into a 7 ¾ inch tart pan. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. If the crust shrinks while baking, use a spoon to press it up against the sides again.
  2. In a saucepan, whisk egg yolks into heavy cream. Add chocolate pieces and heat over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir constantly. When chocolate melts, whisk cinnamon into the mixture.
  3. Pour into prepared crust and bake in 325°F for 10-15 minutes until set. Top with marshmallows and put under broiler until marshmallows turn light brown. Let cool. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 448Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is provided as a guide only. Please consult a dietician for specific dietary needs.

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