Chocolate Caliente

Ummmm! It's that time of year to get making chocolate caliente. I often make it for my students right before Christmas vacation- they're squirrelly and lessons are going, going, gone! For a class of 18 I use:
1 gallon of milk
2-4 barras of chocolate (Abuelita brand is great or Goya or whatever you have available)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean
1 package of paper coffee cups

Pour milk into a large pot and add the cinnamon sticks, and the vanilla bean. I usually scrape the sticks together a few times before adding and I score the bean lengthwise. Warm the milk without scalding over medium heat. When the milk is warm, add the chocolate bars, continue warming until chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. When it is ready, pour into a large pitcher and use a molinillo to stir it up. ¡Bate, bate, chocolate!

Serve in the cups. ¡Que delicioso!

*Note: It usually takes about 20-25 minutes for the milk to warm up. I need to do so prior to class as my classes are only 20 minutes long. I suppose if you put the heat up higher it would go more quickly.