Real True Spiced Hot Chocolate!

What better way to welcome Winter than spiced hot chocolate?!!?!

I had always had the best spiced hot chocolate recipe (with lots of love from my darling aunty) and so didn't really have a reason for searching it on Instructables. But when I saw you guys didn't have one, I figured out you didn't know what you were missing out on!!! Unlike disgusting, weak and often unhealthy powdered hot chocolate (sorry powdered hot chocolate companies), this recipe is (mostly) healthy. And real. Definitely real. Sure, it's a bit of an extra effort to have to melt the chocolate etc. (especially when your family isn't quite sure using their precious Old Gold...) it is SO worth the effort!! Let me know how you liked it! (Let me know your spin on it too - I would love to know!)

3 cups of Milk

100g of dark (70% preferably) chocolate

1-2 tsp of cinnamon (or to taste - some people like a lot (like me) and some people don't (like 'the fussies'))

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of maple syrup

Marshmallows (optional)

Aaaand the not so edible ingredients....

Microwavable jug/bowl (I used Pyrex)

Scales

Microwave

Chopping board

Knife

(BIG) cups (to drink out of...)

Spoon

Spatula

Whisk

Blow torch (optional)

WARNING!

This is the hardest step in the whole entire recipe! The trick is to try to not eat any chocolate while cutting it up…

Put the microwavable jug/bowl onto the scales and measure out 100g of chocolate into it. (this is where you use the knife, chopping board and scales)

Place the bowl (I can’t be bothered writing out the whole microwavable jug/bowl thingy so I’ll just call it a bowl, ok?) into the microwave and give it 30 sec bursts on half temperature. Stir (with the spoon) between each interval. This is important as it helps the chocolate not to burn and to melt consistently.

PLEASE NOTE!

If the spoon you are using is metal, please, please, please do not put it in the microwave. It will cause lots of bang and possibly fire!!!!

To make the milk mixture, combine the milk, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup together in a microwavable bowl. To be honest, I did this in our Thermomix, but only because I made a horrendous mistake… I warmed mine to 60 degrees, but you can warm it to any temperature you wish. (please, not to hot!)

This is where I made a mistake that almost caused me to lose my mixture…I still get nightmares over it.

This is simple. Well it should be anyway…

Just add the melted chocolate to the milk mixture. Wisk furiously to combine. Easy, no? No!

Ok, why it is sooooooooooooooo important to WARM YOU MILK. I have learnt something I was already subconsciously aware of when I made this recipe. If you put HOT MELTED CHOCOLATE into COLD MILK it will become…well…solid, unmelted chocolate. In other words, the chocolate solidifies again, and you are left with a (seriously cool looking) chocolate sculpture. Now, this looks really cool on desserts, but when you need spiced hot chocolate and need it NOW, you are not really going to care how it looks.

fix this, I just put everything (everything edible that is) into the Thermomix, set the temperature at 60 degrees and mixed it all up again.

Finally, pour your mixture into the cups.

My mixture did 2 big cups and 1 medium sized one.

Add the marshmallows and blow torched until crispy and gooey and yum…….

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to apologise for the lack of photos on this Instructable, I was too busy trying to sort out a natural disaster (solidified chocolate) to remember to take them. I hope it is helpful, anyhow!