Wednesday 14 December 2016

Hot Chocolate with Gingerbread Whipped Cream.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Can you believe that I never used to like hot chocolate?
That is, until I made my own. I had tried plenty of ready-made versions but they were just never chocolatey enough for me.
This homemade version is my new favourite winter drink. We start with a simple mix using cocoa powder, cornflour, sugar and dark chocolate. That's right. The addition of actual pieces of chocolate is what makes all the difference here. The little nuggets melt into the drink making this very decadent indeed.
The drink is perfect on its own but I love to top it with a gingerbread whipped cream. This one-bowl recipe has all the flavours of a gingerbread cookie and is a wonderful contrast to the sweet chocolate.
I know for some people, hot chocolate is all about the marshmallows, but that is not the case with me. Somehow, I've never really gotten into the whole marshmallow thing. Maybe I should make my own? Anyway, if you are tired of these super dark, cold days then I highly recommend you make a batch of the mix. Then stir it into some hot milk, switch on the lights and be happy!

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Hot Chocolate Mix:
1. Cocoa Powder
2. Sugar
3. Cornflour
4. Dark Chocolate
5. Salt
6. Vanilla Essence

For the Gingerbread Whipped Cream:
1. Double Cream
2. Vanilla Essence
3. Icing Sugar
4. Ground Ginger
5. Ground Allspice
6. Ground Cloves
7. Ground Cinnamon


Bismillah, let's begin!

We start by making our hot chocolate mix. I like to sieve my ingredients to avoid any lumps.

Especially the cocoa powder! It's always the lumpiest!

Into a bowl, place 40g Cocoa Powder, sifted. Use the best quality cocoa you can get your hands on - it'll really make a difference.

To the cocoa, add 100g Sugar. I used caster but any will do.

Next, in goes 1 tablespoon Cornflour. This will help to thicken up our hot chocolate.

Then, the best bit about this hot chocolate - real chocolate! Take 85g Dark Chocolate ...

... give it a rough chop and add to the bowl. Adding this chocolate makes all the difference to our final drink as these nuggets will melt when heated. You can add any type of chocolate here - maybe a milk chocolate for those of you with a real sweet tooth?

Next, add in a Pinch of Salt.

And, 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Essence.

A good whisk and our hot chocolate mix is ready!

I like to store mine in an airtight container.

Perfect for when the cold weather hits!

Next, let's make a gingerbread whipped cream which goes so well with this sweet drink. Into a bowl, pour 300ml Double Cream.

Drizzle in 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence.

To sweeten things up, in goes 3 tablespoons Icing Sugar.

And then, the spices! You can add as much or as little of them as you want.

Into my bowl, went:
1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/8 teaspoon Ground Allspice
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Using an electric whisk, whisk everything together until you have soft peaks.

We've made our mix and whipped cream! Let's make some actual hot chocolate. My preferred ratio is 1 cup Milk with 3 tablespoons of the Hot Chocolate Mix.

On this dark day, I was making 3 cups so used 3 cups (670ml) Milk.

Pour the milk into a deep saucepan.

Let it heat until the edges begin to bubble.

For my 3 cups, I used 9 tablespoons (140g) of the Hot Chocolate Mix.

When the milk is hot, add in the chocolate.

Whisk in.

Let it simmer for a few minutes until thick and super chocolatey.

Once it's steaming hot, we can serve!

Grab your favourite mugs!

And, get pouring.

The hot chocolate is super decadent on its own but ....

.... we do love our whipped cream.

Especially when it's flavoured with all things gingerbread.

Squirty cream from a can would be really good here too!

Let's finish things off with a little Grated Dark Chocolate.

So pretty!


And for those of you for whom hot chocolate is just a vehicle for the marshmallows, go for it!


Me on the other hand, not so keen


I do love a gingernut biscuit or two with this hot chocolate though.



Get the fairy lights on, make a batch of hot chocolate and enjoy!

Full Written Recipe:

Hot Chocolate with Gingerbread Whipped Cream.

Prep Time: About 15 minutes.
Cook Time: About 10 minutes.
Serves: Makes at least 5 cups.

Ingredients

For the Hot Chocolate Mix
40g Cocoa Powder, sifted
100g Sugar
1 tablespoon Cornflour
85g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
Pinch of Salt
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

For the Gingerbread Whipped Cream
300ml Double Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
3 tablespoons Icing Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/8 teaspoon Ground Allspice
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

For 1 Cup of Hot Chocolate
225ml (1 cup) Milk
3 tablespoons (50g) Hot Chocolate Mix
Marshmallows
Gingernut Biscuits
Dark Chocolate, grated

Make the hot chocolate mix:
Into a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, cornflour, chopped dark chocolate, salt and vanilla essence. I like to store my mix in an airtight jar.

Make the gingerbread whipped cream:
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until you get soft peaks.

Make hot chocolate:
Heat the milk in a pan and let it heat up until just bubbling at the edges. Add in the hot chocolate mix and stir. Let everything heat through for a minute or two. Pour into a mug and top with the cream, marshmallows and grated chocolate. Enjoy with gingernut biscuits!

Recipe Notes:
  • You may add more or less sugar to the hot chocolate mix, if you prefer.
  • If you like a thicker hot chocolate, add more cornflour to the mix.
  • You can replace the dark chocolate with any other chocolate you like.
  • Leftover whipped cream? It goes really well with any cake or hot crumble.
{adapted from smitten kitchen}

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Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your hot chocolate!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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