Black Sesame Champurrado

There’s truly nothing better than a classic champurrado. But for this recipe, I break tradition to have a little fun with the seasonal winter drink that Mexican people anticipate year-round. While champurrado is perfect with dessert, this variation may just be a dessert of its own. To give it some flair, I was inspired by one of my favorite distilled coffee beverages in Los Angeles—the black sesame drink called Totoro at Day Glow, from a special drink menu inspired by the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro. Pairing the black sesame’s distinct nuttiness with the chocolate that’s innate to a champurrado was a seamless marriage of flavor; the chocolate’s bittersweet nature is balanced by the swirling earthiness of black sesame, the maple syrup’s sweetness accentuating their union. For this beverage, I’ve opted to use inky, smooth, and glossy black sesame butter instead of seeds. The sesame butter is extremely user-friendly—just a couple of spoonfuls injects a burst of flavor with ease. If you don’t have it on hand, though, you can substitute tahini.

A champurrado’s thickness varies by preference; this recipe will yield a creamy consistency. However, if you desire something thicker and more viscous, cut the liquid down by a cup, shave off one and a half teaspoons of black sesame butter, and dial down the maple syrup to a quarter cup instead.

The use of red maíz cónico masa harina provides yet another layer of flavor—soft, nutty, with a flutter of sweetness, its pink color playing off the sesame’s jet-black speckles and chocolate’s hickory brown. If a red masa harina isn’t available to you, a white, yellow, or blue variety will work just as well. As a sweetener, in lieu of piloncillo, I use maple syrup for its luscious hints of caramel. But you can also use piloncillo, date syrup, or agave syrup if maple isn’t available.

Enjoy this velvety black sesame and red masa champurrado right off the stove as a dessert, or savor it with the crunchy company of a sugar-encrusted buñuelo and surprise your loved ones this winter season with a novel, nutty champurrado.