I remember walking through the Mercado de Coyoacán in Mexico City with my abuela. The air was thick and intoxicating, a heavy perfume of toasted cacao beans being ground with long sticks of cinnamon in the molinos (mills). She would buy a disk of chocolate, still warm from the friction of the stones, and press a piece into my hand—the same chocolate she used for her Abuela’s Spiced Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies. “Luna,” she would tell me, “chocolate without canela is like a dance without music.”

This recipe is my attempt to capture that exact sensory memory—a recuerdo of my childhood—and transform it into this Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream, which is truly some of the best ice cream you can make at home. In Mexico, chocolate is not just a candy; it is a heritage. We treat it with a reverence that requires patience and the right company of spices. This Helado de Chocolate y Canela is far more than a simple dessert; it is a story of our trade history and our land.

The Soul of the Molino: Authentic Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

To make this ice cream authentic, you must look for Mexican chocolate discs. Unlike European-style chocolate, these discs are stone-ground and contain granulated sugar and often a hint of almond. They have a distinct, slightly grainy texture in their solid form, but when melted into a custard, they provide a rustic complexity you cannot find anywhere else.

In my family, we always used brands like Abuelita or Ibarra, which also provide the base for my Mexican Chocolate & Cinnamon ‘Canela’ Muffins. If you can find artisanal stone-ground cacao from Oaxaca, your ice cream will reach a level of sabor (flavor) that is truly transcendental for anyone who loves Authentic Mexican Desserts.

Canela Cinnamon Ice Cream: The True Mexican Cinnamon

One of the most important lessons mi abuela taught me was the difference between “cinnamon” and canela. Most of what is sold in the U.S. is Cassia—thick, hard bark that is very spicy. But in Mexican kitchens, we use Canela (Ceylon cinnamon).

You can identify it by its thin, parchment-like layers that crumble easily between your fingers. It has a soft, floral, and almost citrusy aroma, much like the profile in a refreshing Mexican Horchata Coffee Frappé. When we steep these fragile sticks into the cream for this Canela Cinnamon Ice Cream, it creates a delicate aromatic bridge between the dark cacao and the sweet dairy.

The Secret of the Mexican Chocolate and Chile Recipe

You might be surprised to see a dried ancho chile in an ice cream recipe. I need to say this with love: we aren’t trying to make “spicy” ice cream. In traditional Mexican cooking, the ancho is a dried poblano—it is sweet, smoky, and tastes of dried plums and raisins.

By steeping the whole chile in the warm milk, we extract its essential oils and its deep, earthy fruitiness. It acts as a “bass note” for this Mexican Chocolate and Chile recipe, grounding the sweetness of the piloncillo (our unrefined cane sugar) and highlighting the bitterness of the chocolate.

Tips for a Silky Terciopelo Texture

The word terciopelo means velvet, and that is exactly how Traditional Mexican sweets should feel on your tongue. Here is how we ensure that traditional finish:

• The Wooden Spoon Test: Don’t rush the custard. We use a wooden spoon to stir, and when the mixture is thick enough that you can draw a clean line through the coating on the back of the spoon with your finger, it is ready.
• The Final Strain: Because Mexican chocolate discs contain bits of ground cacao and sugar, straining the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve is non-negotiable. This removes any solids and those cinnamon shards, leaving you with a perfectly smooth base.
• The Chill: Mexican cuisine is about patience. You must let the base get very cold in the refrigerator—at least 6 hours—before churning. This prevents large ice crystals from forming, ensuring your ice cream is as smooth as a Oaxacan sunset.

Serve this alongside some warm buñuelos or simply with a tiny pinch of sea salt on top to make the cacao sing. ¡Buen provecho!