Forget mulled wine and cinnamon-spiced lattes: the perfect drink for a cold winter’s day is hot chocolate.
Forget mulled wine and cinnamon-spiced lattes: the perfect drink for a cold winter’s day is hot chocolate. Creamy, rich and deliciously indulgent, this cocoa-based concoction has been somewhat overshadowed by the growing popularity of quality coffee in recent years, but Monsoon is here to redress the balance with her favourite ever hot chocolate recipes – including a health-conscious alternative with nutritional benefits.
Hot chocolate
300ml of whole milk
40g of dark chocolate, the best quality you can find
2 tsp boiling water
1 pinch of sea salt, tiny (not table salt)
Optional extras
1 tbsp of cream
3 drops of vanilla extract
1 pinch of sugar, more or less depending on the sweetness of the chocolate used (if you add vanilla and cream you really shouldn’t need sugar as well!)
1 tbsp of rum
For a healthier version
120ml of almond milk
15g of dark chocolate, 100%
1 pinch of pink Himalayan salt, (contains 82 essential minerals)
1 tsp Manuka honey, (good for its antibacterial properties)
180ml of boiling water
3 drops of vanilla extract, optional (makes it taste sweeter without adding more sugar)
1 pinch of cinnamon, (good for the metabolism and, again, making it taste sweeter without calories)
Method
1. Warm a cup first by swirling it with boiling water (it helps the chocolate to melt)
2. Chop the chocolate finely and put in a cup (or jug if you’re making several cups-worth). Add the salt and then the 2 tsp boiling water and stir to melt
3. Heat the milk to just below boiling and pour in slowly, stirring the whole time
4. If you have a blender and can be bothered cleaning it afterwards you’ll get a much nicer froth to the drink if you whizz the ingredients together in there instead
5. If making the healthier version, follow steps 1 and 2, then add the remaining boiling water and honey, then the almond milk, stirring all the time
6. Like the regular version, the healthy hot chocolate can be made in a blender
