Monday 14 October 2013

Heat Up With Hot Chocolate

As the weather gets colder and I want to warm myself up, I have been indulging in hot chocolate a little too often... To try and cut the habit of trips to the on-campus Starbucks and Costa which are just there to tempt me, even when I do take the cheap option that costs £1 from the university cafés, the best thing for me to do is bring my own. I use my pink Contigo travel mug which keeps my drink hot all day long (though it definitely doesn't last the duration of the day... Who can drink hot chocolate that slowly?!).
The only issue is, instant hot chocolate is no way near as exciting as all those syrups that you can add in the coffee shops, but I have found some ways to mix it up a bit and have some fun. My weapon of choice is Galaxy hot chocolate, though I won't say no to Cadbury's either.
1) Pure and simple. As many teaspoons as the pack suggests, hot water and a dash of milk for some creamy goodness and avoid any burnt tongues
2) Add whipped cream and marshmallows. Gooey goodness galore!
3) A shake of spice, whether cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or whatever you have in your cupboard, and mix them up to create new flavours. Add this to the mix and you have a nice wintery kick to your hot chocolate.
4) Peanut butter. It's like a peanut butter cup that you can drink... Mmmm. Add a teaspoon of peanut butter to the powder and a third of the water so that it melts and mixes in before topping up the liquid to avoid splashing it everywhere when you try to frantically stir a full mug!
5) Cinnamon and peanut butter - mix it all together as above. This combination was inspired by my Peanut Butter & Co Cinnamon Raisin Swirl which I will happily eat out of the jar. Add chocolate to this and yum yum yum!!
6) Ice cream! Crazy as it seems, I discovered the hot chocolate float when in Cannes. Make sure that the water is as hot as can be, and a dollop of ice cream makes it so smooth and creamy.
7) Alcohol. Oh yes, I went there! Typically people may add some Bailey's Irish Cream for a warm kick, but what I like is the hot chocolate that they serve (for free) outside the tourist office in Morzine when skiing. Hot chocolate with a slug of chartreuse, a typical Savoie alcohol made by the monks (yeah, I know! They make wine on one of the islands off Cannes as well!). A splash of alcohol is just what the doctor ordered during a cold day on the piste, it thins the blood and increases circulation, so if you are prone to cold fingers & toes, alcohol is in fact encouraged!
8) Caramel sauce is yummy. I fell in love with the salted caramel hot chocolate that they serve at L'Atelier Jean Luc Pelé in Cannes, so add some caramel sauce and a sprinkle of salt to hope for the same results. (Macarons are also encouraged!)
9) Add some raspberry purée - whether a bought sauce of some form or you have squished the raspberries yourself, this will give your hot chocolate a slightly bitter edge with a fruity twist.
10) Make it even more chocolatey! Melt in some dark, milk or white chocolate to indulge that little bit more.
11) Vanilla extract can make your hot chocolate that little bit more sweet, and a few drops and test for taste.
12) Peppermint. Get ready for Christmas with some peppermint essence and it's like a liquid After Eight. You can even stir it with a candy cane if you fancy it!
How do you like yours?

(Apologies for how this post may look... My laptop is broken so I'm working everything from my phone at the moment - nightmare!)

2 comments :

  1. I can't believe you did a whole post on hot chocolate without one reference to Angelina....
    Slightly disagree with number 1 - it should be "add at least one more teaspoon than suggested"
    Also lolling at drunk monks (mainly because it rhymes)

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