secret chili ingredients and toppings

I've never heard of putting cocoa and sugar in chili. I'll have to try it. I guess my entire chili recipe is a secret. LOL I win the local chili cookoff every year and everyone always begs for my recipe. Honestly, I don't have a recipe. I just throw a whole bunch of stuff together in a great big pot and it always turns out good. I guess I'm just lucky. Oh, there you go, LUCK is my secret ingredient!

I just made vegan chili mac last night. You cook macaroni and toss it with a "cream" sauce made from soy/rice milk, flour, oil, nutritional yeast, and spices. Then I made a quick bean & tomato chili and poured it on top and baked it...so yummy.

i havent done chili but would like to try sometime. thank you for the tips i might just go find time to make a bowl of chili myself.

I use Hershey syrup sometimes which would be very similar to your cocoa and sugar. I started using this years ago on recommendation from an Italian neighbor who made the best spaghetti sauce. I incorporate a little sugar into the chili now too - cuts the acidity. I'm not sure what the chocolate does, but no one would ever guess it's in there. whit

Finally, someone else that puts sugar in their chili. I have always made mine like that and never encountered anyone else who did the same. I always get strange looks when people ask how I get the hint of sweetness in my chili and I reply with sugar.

Just a little pinch of cinnamon adds a bit of spice to chili or to spaghetti sauce. Give it a try some time!

Lola, I've never cooked a pot of chili, so don't have any secret ingredients to pass on, but cocoa and sugar sound strangely delicious. I'd never imagine using those ingredients in chili. How did you ever come up with cocoa and sugar for chili???