Toasted Rice Horchata w/ Salted Caramel Drizzle & Coconut Charcoal Whipped Cream
Fall is in the air, which means it's time to cozy up and sip on a sweet and spooky recipe!
Sweet and creamy rice milk, rich with cinnamon, complimented by a complex caramel drizzle. Topped with a a black charcoal whipped cream to get in that spooky spirit.
Made with Let's Do Organic® Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk and Native Forest® Classic Coconut Milk by No Eggs or Ham
Ingredients
Horchata- 2 cups long grain white rice (we used Jasmine rice)
- 2 – 2 ½” cinnamon sticks, broken into a couple pieces
- 8 1/4 cups water, divided
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 c Let's Do Organic® Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
- 1/4 c agave (plus more if pairing with caramel & whipped cream)
- 7 oz (3/4 cup + 2 tbsps) cane sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup Native Forest® Classic Coconut Milk
- 2 tbsps agave
- 3/16 tsp salt
- Coconut whipped cream
- Enough activated coconut charcoal to turn it black
Directions
- Horchata: Heat a medium-large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in dry rice and cinnamon pieces. Toast mixture, stirring frequently, until many grains of rice are lightly browned; about 4 minutes.
- Note: Don’t go too long without stirring and keep a watchful eye on it because burnt rice is not what you want.
- Transfer rice and cinnamon to a blender and add in 6 ¼ cups of water. Place on the lid and let it soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day (or after 8 hours), blend rice mixture on high speed until creamy and broken down; about 3 minutes. Pour mixture through a nut milk bag or a couple layers of cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, which will take a couple minutes.
- Rinse out your blender and transfer strained rice milk back into blender. Add in coconut milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk, 1/4 cup agave, and 2 more cups of water. Blend on high for 1 minute. Blend in two separate batches then combine later if blender’s not big enough.
- Note: If you plan to drink your horchata with the caramel and whipped cream, add an extra 3 tablespoons of agave, that way its flavors won’t be overwhelmed by the other components’ sweetness. Otherwise, sweeten to taste.
- Empty out nut milk bag or cheesecloth from before and pour horchata through it again to ensure there’s no grittiness. Serve immediately over ice or store in a large pitcher in the fridge for up to 5 days – stir before drinking.
- Salted Caramel: Combine cane sugar, water, and agave together in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pot over high heat. Give it a quick stir (just once), clip on a candy thermometer, and cook until the mixture reaches 230° F. When it hits that point, turn the heat to medium, and allow temperature to rise to 300° F.
- You can now gently stir the caramel with a silicone spatula. When the temperature reaches 340° F, turn off the heat, and carefully remove the thermometer. Quickly pour in the coconut milk and stand back as it will bubble up.
- As soon as the bubbling has simmered down, place back over medium heat, stir in salt, and cook for 2 more minutes. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a squeeze bottle for easy control.
- Store caramel in the fridge for up to a month. To reheat the caramel sauce, place squeeze bottle in a pot with very hot water, changing out the water when it gets cool, until the sauce is loose again.
- Grand Finale: To make whipped cream, mix two tablespoons of coconut whipped cream per drink with enough charcoal to turn it black; about 1/4 teaspoon per 2 tablespoons of whipped cream. Add to a pastry bag if a pretty design is desired.
- Drizzle the inside of a glass with caramel, add in a few ice cubes, fill up glass with horchata, top with whipped cream, and finish with more caramel. Best enjoyed with a straw.