It’s here!!!! Merry Christmas everybody!!! I know everyone is going to be a bit too stuffed today to attempt any one of these recipes, but come dreary January these will be a perfect little pick-me-up to indulge in.
After all, ‘tis the season where you can cosy up by the fireplace (or the TV with a fake fireplace) and enjoy a nice hot drink. Obviously, I prefer my drinks to be of the chocolate variety (not a coffee drinker) and after years of experimenting, these are my top 3 ways of making a hot chocolate:
MINT HOT CHOCOLATE
I’m very particular when it come to my mint hot chocolate, I’ve often been disappointed with too little of a minty taste from these if I don’t make them myself. Although to this day, one of the best ones I’ve ever had was from a Costa Coffee in Edinburgh, perfect ratio of chocolate and mint!
For one mug of mint hot chocolate you’ll need:
20ml of mint syrup (which is 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon), quantity may vary depending on the syrup (see below)
Cécémel (a premade chocolate drink made with UHT milk)
Candy Cane (optional)
Whipped cream in a squirt can (again optional)
1 minute 30 in a microwave power 900W
Personally, I like to use Teisseire’s Green Mint syrup for which I need 20ml (1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon) per mug. But I have tried Monin’s Mojito Mint syrup before, which is much more sugary and therefore you just need 1 tablespoon of that one per mug (although it does also have less of an overall minty taste).
Basically, the perfect mint hot chocolate for you, will depend greatly on the type of syrup and quantity you use. I can’t say much more than “get experimenting!!!”. I know, all those hot chocolates…truly suffering for your art! ;)
NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE
I’ve gotta thank Ingrid Nilsen for this recipe, as she is the one that introduced me to this concoction back in 2010 with her How To: Make Nutella Hot Chocolate video, major throwback re-watching that one.
For one mug of Nutella hot chocolate you’ll need:
2 generous teaspoons of Nutella
Milk (I like to use coconut milk, but you might have a different preference)
Sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional)
Whipped cream in a squirt can (again optional)
Festive sprinkles (also optional)
One of my favourite hot chocolate recipes and the one I’ve been making for the longest thanks to Ingrid.
Pour a mug’s worth (filled to about 2cm from the rim) of your preferred milk into a saucepan. Whilst heating over the stove add two generous teaspoons of Nutella and whisk till melted, then pour the mixture back into the mug you started from. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon and/or nutmeg and decorate to your heart’s content!
HOT CHOCOLATE ORANGE
This recipe I’ve been thinking about making for a while but had to wait till I could get my hands on some Terry’s Chocolate Orange (milk version) and control myself long enough not to eat it all beforehand.
In Belgium, orange chocolate just like mint chocolate isn’t really a thing, so I can only get Terry’s Chocolate Orange when it comes to Stonemanor (The British Store here in Belgium) and even then it only comes in during the festive season (I’d say about late October to December). I have also seen it in our Waterstones but with a mark-up of €7 I’m not desperate enough to pay for it at that rate I’m afraid.
For one mug of orange hot chocolate you’ll need:
A packet of Terry’s Chocolate Orange (7 slices to be precise)
Milk (of your choosing again I used coconut milk)
Just like with the Nutella hot chocolate, fill a mug of your choosing till about 2cm from the rim, then pour it into a saucepan. Whilst heating add 4 slices of Terry’s Chocolate Orange and whisk till melted, then add further slices till chocolatey enough for you, tasting along the way (I went up to 7). Pour the mixture back into mug of choice. This is going to be one of the richest hot chocolates from this trio, so you might want to indulge in this one a good while before dinner, otherwise you won’t be hungry for the latter.
Now I know what you’re thinking, these all sound delicious and look easy to make but where are your cute mugs from?
The Starbucks Christmas mug was from a hot chocolate gift set in Boots, that I got back when I was in Edinburgh for Uni, so about 2012-ish.
The Santa and Snowman mugs are much more recent purchases, that I got early this December at Maison du Monde. While I’ve still seen them in store (in their Christmas mug selection) they have disappeared from their website (hopefully they’ll make a comeback next year).
Finally, the orange one, is in fact a jack-o’-lantern that I’ve turned around for the purpose of the photos so that it looked more like an orange and matched the theme. But that was also a recent purchase from Hema in October.
The little mug earrings were from Claire’s years ago, and although I found them on their website they seem to be out-of-stock.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help for the links but have no fear, ‘tis the season of cute mugs galore, so I’m sure you can find some really adorable alternatives.
Fun trivia fact; did you know that whipped cream in food commercials is in fact shaving foam? Not so yummy now, right?! But totally get this food styling secret, because using the real stuff, let me tell you, the struggle is real! I had under 2 minutes to get my shots and that was with the added advantage of no hot lights and ice-cold water underneath!
What’s your favourite hot chocolate recipe (shaving foam optional)? Or do you prefer a different kind of hot drink?
What’s the most impractical mug you’ve ever bought because of cuteness factor? I’ve been lucky all my mugs have been pretty easy to drink from. ;)
xxxemma