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Ah Cacao Real Chocolate Recipes

Ah Cacao Chocolate Mexicano (Drinking Chocolate)
Ah Cacao Hot Cocoa Drink
Ah Cacao Nibs - suggested uses
Ah Cacao Sipping Chocolate
Chocolate Banana Pudding (sugar free)
Chocolate Frío (Cold Chocolate Drink)
Easy-bake Chocolate Cake
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Beans - suggested uses

Ah Cacao Chocolate Mexicano (Drinking Chocolate)

For every serving use:
2-4 segments of a chocolate tablet
1 cup of milk or water

Heat the milk or water in a pan until the first bubble pops. Remove from heat. Using a molinillo* or whisk beat in the chocolate until completely dissolved. Heat again until a froth begins to rise. Remove from the heat and beat a second time. Half-fill each cup then beat the remaining chocolate until frothy. Add the remaining foamed chocolate to each cup.

Your drinking chocolate can be spiced up by adding any of the following ingredients during the heating phase:
Real Vanilla Extract or Bean, Orange or Lime Zest, Honey, Chile Pasilla, Nutmeg.

* A Molinillo (available in Ah Cacao stores) is a wooden chocolate whisk which is rotated by rubbing the staff between the palms of the hand.

Ah Cacao Hot Cocoa Drink

For every serving use:
1 cup or mug of milk
1 to 2 teaspoons of Ah Cacao Criollo Cocoa
1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey
1 teaspoon Real Vanilla extract

Gently heat the water, sugar and vanilla pod until bubbles start to form. Remove from heat and add the cacao, mixing with a 'Molinillo' (available from Ah Cacao stores) or whisk. Return to heat, frothing the mixture vigorously with the molinillo to create a thick foam, until the mixture is about to boil. Remove from heat. To thicken further, let cool and heat once more. Pour hot cocoa into individual mugs and serve immediately.

Your hot cocoa can be spiced up by adding any of the following during the heating phase:
Ah Cacao 70% Chocolate, Cinnamon stick (Canela), Orange or Lime Zest, Chile Pasilla, Nutmeg, Vanilla Pods (sliced open).

Ah Cacao Nibs - suggested uses

Cacao nibs (or 'cocoa' nibs) are a pure and naturally healthy food that can be used to add flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. Before using a bean, gently rub it to remove the skin then squeeze to sprinkle little pieces of pure, unsweetened, cacao on your favorite dishes.

Sweet Treats:
Try sprinkled on ice cream, cakes, tarts or mixed in your favorite smoothie o yogurt. Can be used as a substitute for chocolate chips in cookie recipes.

Savory dishes:
Use as a condiment on salads, vegetables, fish, and meat dishes, o mix with your favorite sauce. Can also be used in bread, like a grain.

Ah Cacao Sipping Chocolate

To make sipping chocolate, you basically just need to melt Ah Cacao dark chocolate (72% cacao) in water.

Try this recipe:
150ml Water
45g Sugar (or other sweetener, if desired, to taste)
105g Ah Cacao Dark Chocolate (72% cacao)

Heat the water with the sugar, stirring occasionally, until it starts to boil. All the sugar should be dissolved. Remove from the heat and wait one or two minutes for the water to cool slightly. Add the chocolate, stirring continuously with a whisk until it melts. Leave to rest for 30-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the chocolate is fully melted, with no graininess.

You can make the recipe 'stronger' by using less, or no, sweetener and adding Ah Cacao Criollo Cocoa Powder.

Chocolate Banana Pudding (sugar free)

2 Ripe Bananas
3 tbsp Ah Cacao Criollo Cocoa Powder
Honey to taste

Peel the bananas and mash with the cocoa powder using a potato masher or a fork until you have a smooth consistency. Add honey to sweeten if required.

Chocolate Frío (Cold Chocolate Drink)

In a blender mix:
2 cups (500ml) of your preferred milk
2 heaped tablespoons of Ah Cacao Criollo Cocoa
1 teaspoon of natural vanilla extract
Natural sweetner to taste (e.g. agave nectar, honey, sugar, etc.). Usually a teaspoon or less is sufficient.

Blend well and serve immediately. Instant recharge!

Try mixing in a banana, strawberries, pecans or yoghurt.

Easy-bake Chocolate Cake

This is a simple but delicious chocolate cake recipe that is easy for children to make.

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Ah Cacao Criollo Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Add wet ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (nutroli or canola)
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons honey
3 eggs (add one at a time)
3/4 cup water

Beat the mixture viguorously by hand for 5 minutes, or with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.

Pour into a greased and floured 9 inch cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Leave to cool until the pan can be handled. Remove the cake by first running a knife around the edge and then gently pushing the sides of the cake towards the center to unstick it from the bottom. When the cake moves freely inside the pan, turn it out into your hand or a plate and then place a plate on the bottom of the cake and turn it back the right way around.

The cake can be decorated however you like. Our recommendation is to melt an 80g bar of Ah Cacao Dark Chocolate in the microwave (or bain marie) and spread all over. To melt in a microwave, use half power and stir every 30 seconds until a stiff peanut butter consistency is reached.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:
60g vanilla bean pieces (2 jars of Ah Cacao Real Vanilla)
1 bottle (70 cl) of Vodka or White Rum

Instructions:
- Empty a little of the liquor into another container temporarily to make room for the vanilla beans.
- Open each pod along its length to expose the seeds. Put the opened pieces in the bottle of liquor.
- Fill up the bottle with the liquor removed in the first step.
- Leave the mixture for at least a month. The longer you leave it the more flavor the extract will have. The bottle can be left for up to a year.
- It's not necessary to strain the mixture. You can leave the bean pieces in the bottle as you use the extract so it continues to strengthen.

Vanilla Beans - suggested uses

DRINKS & DESSERTS:
Enjoy the exquisite taste of real vanilla by adding about 9cm (3.5in) of vanilla bean for every pint of liquid (e.g. milk, cream, etc.) while heating. Split the vanilla bean piece lengthways, and scrape out the seeds into the liquid before adding the husk too.