Mocktails
Halloween Purple Monster Blue Corn Atole for Kids
This Purple Monster Blue Corn Atole is a warm, spoon-thick Halloween drink made from blue corn masa harina, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon. The corn supplies the naturally muted violet color, while cinnamon crescent moons provide the decoration without candy, extracts, bitters or food coloring.
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WHAT YOU NEED
Ingredients
METHOD
How to make it
- Fold a clean 3-inch square of parchment paper in half. An adult cuts out a simple 1-inch crescent, unfolds the paper and sets the stencil aside.
- Put the measured blue corn masa harina in a medium bowl. Add the measured cold water gradually while whisking until the slurry is smooth and has no dry pockets.
- Pour the measured whole milk into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the measured brown sugar, cinnamon stick and salt.
- An adult sets the pan over medium heat and whisks until the sugar dissolves and steam begins to rise, about 4 minutes. Do not let the milk boil.
- Whisk the masa slurry once more. While whisking the warm milk constantly, slowly pour the slurry into the saucepan.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 6–8 minutes, whisking continuously, until the atole is steaming, smooth and thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon; do not boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Use tongs to remove and discard the cinnamon stick.
- Divide the hot atole evenly among six heatproof 8 oz mugs. Let it stand for 8–10 minutes, stirring each mug once, until comfortably warm rather than hot.
- Hold the parchment stencil about 1/2 inch above one mug. Put that serving's share of ground cinnamon in a fine-mesh sieve, tap lightly over the opening, then lift the stencil straight up. Repeat for every mug.
- Serve warm with teaspoons. An adult must handle the scissors, stove, hot pan and pouring, and must check the temperature before children drink it.
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Keep the atole smooth
Whisk the masa with cold water before it reaches the saucepan; adding dry flour directly to hot milk creates lumps. Keep the heat below a boil and whisk the bottom and corners of the pan continuously. The atole thickens further as it cools. If it becomes too thick to sip, whisk in warm milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Use instant blue corn masa harina intended for tortillas, not cornstarch or ordinary cornmeal. Natural color varies from dusty blue to purple depending on the flour and milk. For another warm children’s drink, see the Pumpkin Patch Steamer. The adult companion is the Full Moon Gin Flip. Browse Halloween drinks for kids.
The estimate counts the blue corn masa, water, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, salt and ground cinnamon. Water and salt add no calories. The cinnamon stick is discarded after steeping; the parchment stencil is not edible. No pulp is strained or discarded. The drink is 0.0% ABV.
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