Bring Abuelita Mexican Chocolate into Your Kitchen

Often referred to as Mexican chocolate, Abuelita is an affordable cooking ingredient with many uses. Manufactured by Nestle, the brand first appeared in Mexico in the late 1930s. It remains popular today and the product line now includes syrup and powdered drink mix in addition to the classic bars and tablets.

Who is Abuelita?
The bright yellow and red labels make it easy to spot this Mexican chocolate, even on cluttered store aisles. The label features a picture of the famous Mexican movie star, Sara Garcia. Her image as a loving abuelita came from a memorable character she played in the 1940s.

Flavor Experience
Mexican chocolate has a complex flavor with a hint of cinnamon. It is grainy with sugar crystals throughout the chocolate. Biting into a bar of Mexican chocolate is similar to eating food topped with sea salt. The crystals crunch, revealing a burst of flavor.

Cooking with Mexican Chocolate
Score marks make it easy to measure for a variety of cooking applications. It is suitable for savory dishes as well as desserts. Here are three common uses for Abuelita bars.

Mole Sauce
Homemade mole sauce recipes vary in difficulty, but authentic Mexican chocolate, not cocoa powder, is essential to creating the signature mole flavor.

Hot Cocoa
Childhood memories often shape people's choice of hot cocoa, but do not be afraid to try something new. The Abuelita label includes directions, in English and Spanish, for making hot cocoa with milk or water. If desired, add a small amount of sugar, preferably, brown sugar or piloncillo, for extra sweetness. Whisking the hot cocoa creates a smoother texture and a frothy head. Another option is to pour the cocoa between two cups to create froth.

Chocolate Desserts
Dessert recipes often call for expensive European chocolate available from specialty retailers. Despite its small price tag, Abuelita chocolate is high quality and great for cooking. Try using it to make chocolate sauce, frosting, brownies or truffles.

Nutrition Content of Mexican Chocolate
The bar contains ten squares of chocolate. According to the label, each serving, one square, carries 90 calories with 30 calories from fat. It contains 3 grams of fat with 2 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of menstruated fat. One serving also has 14 grams of sugar and less than 1 gram of protein.

Where to Buy Abuelita Bars
A 7.05-ounce bar typically costs around $1.50. (The odd size is due to its conversion from grams to ounces.) Some stores consider Mexican cooking ingredients specialty foods and add high price tags to match their "special" qualities. Grocery chains such as Fiesta and Carnival tend to have fair prices on Abuelita, piloncillo, and similar foods. Shoppers can also use the Nestle product locator to find a local retailer.

Sources:
"About Abuelita", Nestle.com