I know, I know, winter is technically over. I also know that summer is supposedly just around the corner. However, I always find that it is one cold nights when I least expect the drop in temperature that I fancy a warming hot chocolate. You know – when the predicted sunshine never arrived, and you end up feeling like it is so much colder than it actually is.
For these nights nothing beats a nice warming hot chocolate – rich, chocolaty, and frothy. Luckily I make a mean hot chocolate – and it is just one made with normal every day chocolate powder and a couple of extra ingredients!
Take a dessert spoon full of Cadburys hot chocolate power, and put it into a mug.
Add a splash of milk, and mix thoroughly to create a thick paste. In a pan on the hob, pour a mugs worth (just under what you would need) of milk, and add 1 and a half further spoonfuls of the powder.
Stir to dissolve, and heat it up slowly and steadily. Despite what people say, I find heating it until it boils and bubbles is the best way to get a light and frothy hot chocolate. Once heated, drop in about 3 squares of chocolate, and mix to melt it in. It probably won’t melt neatly – you will get sticky lumps at the bottom of the pan – don’t worry, the next bit fixes that.
Once all that is done, pour the hot chocolate from the pan into a liquidiser/blender. You know, one of the upright ones. Scrape in the half melted chocolate from the bottom of the pan, and add a splash of vanilla essence – and something stronger if you feel like it! Pout the lid on, and blend thoroughly – you want lots and lots of bubbles!
Pour into the mug, and stir slowly to mix in the chocolate paste. If you are careful the hot chocolate can have a lovely light against dark swirl on the top – but it doesn’t really matter!
The hot chocolate takes some effort – but the incredibly bubbly, light and fluffy result is well worth the time! Yum!
Image via CharityGirl's Flickr