Be warned: these Mexican Vegan Chilli Chocolate Pots may look harmless and easy going but they have a real kick to them. They are definitely not for kids! Inspired by spiced hot chocolate we had while skiing, a little goes a long way with these dark, decadent pots. These cheeky choc pots went down a storm at our Leeds 10k Vegan Brunch (the same recovery brunch that featured in The Guardian Cook section).
Note that you need to refrigerate the coconut milk the night before you want to make the ‘whipped cream’ and that it absolutely must be the normal, full fat variety (not the ‘lite’ variety). If it’s a hot day and you’re not getting the volume you’d hope, whip until you’re fed up and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours and it’ll firm up to a nice whipped consistency. Serve with fresh or frozen raspberries.
Mexican Vegan Chilli Chocolate Pots
Makes 4 pots – easily scales up
Ingredients
For the chocolate pots
300g dark chocolate (min. 70% solids)
250ml almond milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ -½ tsp chilli powder, to taste
3 tablespoons agave nectar
300g soft tofu (The kind you get in a tub of water in most supermarkets now)
For the ‘whipped cream’ topping
1 can of full fat coconut milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp icing sugar, to taste
Method
1 Refrigerate your can of coconut overnight.
2 Flip your can upside down, open and drain off the coconut ‘whey’. Set it aside, and use it in a smoothie or soup.
3 Scoop the coconut cream into a large, cool mixing bowl and whip. Persevere here; it takes a bit longer to get a peaked texture than regular cream would.
4 Stir in your vanilla extract and icing sugar to taste. Keep refrigerated until serving. Keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.
5 To make the chocolate pots, first melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
6 Measure out the other ingredients in a measuring jug or the beaker from an immersion blender. Break the tofu up a bit with a wooden spoon.
7 Pour the melted chocolate in with everything else and buzz with the immersion blender for about 45 seconds until you have a smooth, chocolate-buff crème.
8 Pour into little ramekins, teacups or shot glasses and refrigerate until serving, at least 1 hour. These can be made ahead and kept in the fridge overnight. Serve with the whipped coconut cream topping.
All images: Zsolt Sandor / MothershipUK
Yum! Can I ask what coconut milk you use? I’ve not had much luck trying to make coconut whipped cream so far (the coconut cream always goes rock hard and is impossible to whip) so I was wondering if some brands are better than others.. Thanks!
Hi Rosa, The one that I’ve had the most luck with is called ‘Pride’, and I get it from the ‘ethnic’ section of the supermarket (the aisle with the massive bags of lentils!). It has about 2/3 of a can of the cream and it’s a lovely consistency.
My main tip for texture is all about temperature. The day I first made this, it was the hottest day of the year and it just wouldn’t hold its whip, but when i put it back in the fridge for a bit, it turned perfect. So, leaving yours out of the fridge might do the trick for you? Fingers crossed, let me know how it goes.
Ooh great, thanks for the tips 🙂 I will hunt down some of that coconut milk and give it another go!