Mexican Chocolate Spice Mix

4.80 from 5 votes

By: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale ChipsPublished: Apr 21, 2020Updated: Mar 25, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This easy Mexican Chocolate Spice Mix will add a little something extra to your favorite chocolaty treats. Serious chocolate lovers will go crazy for the combo when you add the warmth of cinnamon and ginger and the kick of cayenne pepper in this spice blend to any chocolate recipe. Spice up your cookies, cakes, brownies, and more!

Mexican Chocolate Spice Mix Recipe image with title

I’m insane. Really, I am. I almost want to say that I am too smart for my own good, but I’m not gonna give myself that much credit. I’m just an engineer.

And a perfectionist.

And I know too much about random things that inhibit me from functioning like a normal human being. I might also be totally routine driven to the point of eating the same things over and over and over, prepared the same way over and over and over. Same steps, same order, same time of day, you get the idea.

Almost a year ago I shared my recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Oatmeal. Love this stuff.

So everyday for almost a year I would measure out the oatmeal, sugar or honey or whatever sweetener I was using, the cocoa powder, and all the spices. Individually. The thought crossed my mind to make up a spice mixture so I’d only have to measure out one thing instead of three. But I was concerned about particle size.

Particle size? Yes, particle size. And mixing phenomena. And homogeneity.

I was concerned that the cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne were each ground to different particle sizes, and so when I combined them, they would not be perfectly mixed because the different particle sizes would lead to segregation of the spices.

And then when I took a teaspoonful to put in my oatmeal, some days I would get too much cinnamon and not enough cayenne kick, another day it would be too gingery (and I am not a huge ginger person – I like just a bit), and other days I would hit a hot spot and burn my mouth out.

These are the kinds of things you worry about when you work for a pharmaceutical company as a chemical engineer for ten years and have to think about things like particle size and mixing phenomena and homogeneity.

You can take the girl out of engineering, but you can’t take the engineer out of the girl.

Finally, I got annoyed and made the spice mixture. And you know what? No detectable flavor variations!

I can now just keep a jar in my pantry and so can you!

A jar and a spoon of Mexican Chocolate Spice Blend

Mexican Chocolate Spices

No, there is no chocolate in this spice mixture. You add it to other chocolaty foods and recipes.

All you need is:

Cinnamon
Ground ginger
Cayenne pepper

The warmth of the cinnamon and ginger just play up and enhance the chocolatiness, and make it so rich and comforting. Then the cayenne starts to hit you with its bit of heat. Just enough to make you sniffle a bit and rev up your metabolism.

Helps cancel out the calories in the chocolate, right? 😉

Mexican Chocolate Spices on a spoon with a jar in the background

Besides the oatmeal I mentioned earlier, I also love to add it to:

Flourless Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Mexican Chocolate Glazed Popcorn
Mexican Mocha Hot Chocolate
And I’ll even blend it into my Chocolate Banana Smoothie (leaving out the peanut butter) or a Mocha Almond Protein Blended Cold Brew.

And some recipes from my friends that you may be able to substitute this spice mixture:

Skinny Mexican Frozen Hot Chocolate from Wine & Glue
Mexican Chocolate Truffles from Crazy for Crust
Mexican Chocolate Chia Pudding from Oh My Veggies

A spoon spilling over with the spice mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper

Mexican Chocolate Spice Blend

This simple combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper will add warmth and a little spicy kick to your favorite chocolate recipes. Enjoy the sweet heat of Mexican hot chocolate by adding it to cookies, brownies, oatmeal, cakes, and more!

4.8 from 5 votes