There’s nothing better than a mug of hot chocolate on a cold night, and this version brings the heat. The warmth from the chili flakes builds up slowly and doesn’t overpower the sweetness and richness of the chocolate. Experiment with adding peanut butter, peppermint, or instant coffee instead of the four spices in this recipe.
Serves 2, or 1 on the night of an exam.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk (2 per cent recommended)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp each of cinnamon and red chili flakes
Tiny pinch each of nutmeg and cardamom
¼ cup Belgian chocolate chips (55 per cent recommended)
Optional: home-made whipped cream and sprinkle of cinnamon for garnish, peanut butter, peppermint, instant coffee.
1. Pour milk into small pot and heat slowly on medium heat, whisking very frequently to avoid scorching the bottom of the milk.
2. Add cinnamon, chili flakes, nutmeg and cardamom (be careful not to go overboard with the last two, these are strong flavours).
3. When almost hot, add cocoa powder.
4. Continue whisking until almost boiling, then turn off the heat.
5. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until completely melted.
6. Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Whipped cream: for an extra special twist, whip your own cream with 1 cup whipping cream, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar.
