Ingredients

For the cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup all-purpose flour for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

For the hot chocolate

3 ounces Mexican chocolate
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt
6 cinnamon sticks (preferably Mexican canela), for serving

For the Garnish

Powder sugar for dusting

Special Equipment

Hand mixer
3 Half sheet pans
Parchment paper
Wire rack
mini wire whisk

Instructions

For the cookies

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes.
When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire racks.

For the hot chocolate

Using a sharp knife, break up the chocolate into smaller pieces. In a saucepan, combine the chopped chocolate, milk, sugar, and salt over medium-low flame. Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and milk is very hot, but not boiling, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and froth the chocolate milk with a mini whisk . Divide the hot chocolate among big mugs and serve with the cinnamon sticks as stirrers.