Nicaraguan Pinolillo – Cacao Cornmeal Drink

I introduce you to Nicaraguan Pinolillo, a sweetened cacao and cornmeal drink that starts with roasted chocolate beans and stone ground cornmeal paired with earthy spices like cinnamon, clove, and all-spice. The mixture is ground into a fine powder and finally combined with refreshing water or milk.

Cacao – The Original Form of Chocolate

Similar to my Nicaraguan Cacao drink recipe, Pinolillo starts with roasted cacao. The key in this recipe is to use raw cacao beans or nibs. Unlike processed cocoa powder, cacao beans are typically unsweetened and maintain many of the original, earthy flavors of chocolate. And when the cacao beans are slowly roasted, the flavors are even more enhanced.

To enhance the flavor of the cacao, toasting/roasting them is extremely important. Cacao is a fragrant ingredient, so you’ll want to toast the beans until you start smelling those lovely chocolate flavors. The color of the cacao will also change as it releases its scent. The desired color you want to achieve is a dark auburn, almost chocolately black color.

Roasted Maiz or Cornmeal

The second key ingredient in Nicaraguan Pinolillo is roasted maiz (aka corn). The traditional method for this recipe includes boiling corn kernels and then slow roasting them in the oven, however for simplicity reason, I edited the recipe to use cornmeal instead.

Stone ground cornmeal is the best quality, since it still has a gritty texture similar to the traditional roasted maiz. After testing this recipe with both white and yellow cornmeal, I find that either option works well, as long as it’s stone ground.

Spices in Pinolillo

I like my Nicaraguan Pinolillo with very strong, pungent spices like:

• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• All-spice
• Cayenne pepper (if adventurous)

Whatever spices soot your tastebuds, add them in the mixture. For a bolder spice flavor, I also recommend toasting the spices along with the raw cacao beans and the cornmeal. It’s a great hack for boosting the spice aroma. I also think it allows the spices and cacao to begin infusing their oils together, like a hot friendship of sorts.

Once all the toasting and roasting is all done, the final step in this Nicaraguan Pinolillo recipe is to blend the spices, along with the cornmeal and cacao until the mixture resembles a fine powder. This pinolillo powder then gets a nice mixing with some water, milk and of course plenty of sugar. Serve over ice and enjoy!

More Traditional Nicaraguan Recipes

Are you looking for a delicious and refreshing Refresco de Cacao? Or the staple Nicaraguense dishes of Gallo Pinto or Arroz ala Valenciana; then look no further.

Nicaraguan Pinolillo – Cacao Cornmeal Drink

Nicaraguan Pinolillo is a traditional chocolate cornmeal drink that is made with raw cacao beans and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and all-spice. Serve sweetened or unsweetened, either way it's a delicious traditional Nicaraguan drink that gives you a real taste of chocolate.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Traditional Drinks

Cuisine Nicaraguan Cuisine

Servings 8 servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup of stone ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
• 1/2 cup of raw cacao beans/nibs
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• Pinch of cloves
• Pinch of all-spice
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of sugar or desired amount

Instructions

 

• In a clean pan, on low heat, roast the raw cacao, cornmeal, along with the spices. Roast until the spices are fragrant and the cacao beans resemble a dark auburn, almost dark chocolate color.
• Next, add the roasted ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until mixture resembles a fine powder.
• Now, add the milk, water and mix with the pinolillo powder.
• Sweeten with the sugar and serve over ice.

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