Drink your fill of decadent, European-style hot chocolate at home with my Spiced Hot Chcolate.
Why is Spiced Hot Chocolate the book-inspired recipe for I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself?
We’ve all seen the videos on Instagram of impeccably dressed waiters pouring thick hot chocolate into waiting mugs at Parisian cafés.
This chocolat chaud is treated as the ultimate decadence, the ultimate luxury. Something you should treat yourself to while living your best life.
I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is a memoir that’s all about pleasure. It’s about treating yourself to lovely, decadent things – of all kinds *wink wink* — and making yourself feel good as often as possible.
Author Glynnis MacNicol meets her friends for many a chocolat chaud while in Paris, and it inspired me to create my own Parisian hot chocolate experience at home.
What I love about Spiced Hot Chocolate
Spiced Hot Chocolate isn’t your childhood powdered cocoa mix. This is sophisticated hot chocolate.
It’s rich and luxurious and full of robust cocoa flavor, made completely from scratch and with whole ingredients. It feels decadent and old-fashioned, like something that should be served by a Victorian housekeeper in a fancy silver chocolate pot.
I’m a firm believer that chocolate, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are not just for Christmas time. These are cozy and reassuring flavors and scents. We need their comfort in all the colder months, from late fall through early spring.
Citrus sings when it meets chocolate – I swooned as I zested the orange next to the chocolate chips – and the ground spices pair so well with the chocolate.
A mug of Spiced Hot Chocolate is exactly what you want to curl up with on a cold, dreary day.
Making hot chocolate from scratch (a.k.a., without pre-packaged cocoa powder)
In almost the same time it takes to boil water for pre-packaged cocoa mix, you can make homemade hot chocolate completely from scratch. And it tastes so much better.
Yes, homemade hot chocolate requires a few extra ingredients. But they’re all things you probably already have in your house:
- chocolate chips
- milk
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- ground nutmeg
- vanilla extract
The only ingredients you might not always have on hand are heavy cream, which is optional, and a fresh orange.
The hot chocolate recipe below pours up two good-sized mugs. I like to double and triple the recipe, pour the hot chocolate into a large pitcher, and store it in my refrigerator.
Then I just pour myself a mug and heat it up in the microwave whenever I want an easy sweet treat. Just be sure to stir the mixture well before pouring and serving.
How sweet is Spiced Hot Chocolate?
Spiced Hot Chocolate is for a more refined chocolate lover’s palate.
This mixture toes the line between milk and dark chocolate by using semi-sweet chocolate chips. They add just enough sweetness to the cocoa that you don’t need to add additional sugar. But, this is definitely not a dark chocolate concoction. (Which is good. I hate dark chocolate).
What do you serve with Spiced Hot Chocolate?
Spiced Hot Chocolate is a perfect dessert after a hearty, nourishing meal like Apple Cider Beef Stew or Coq au Vin. Serve it next to a plate of Pignoli Cookies, Vanilla Oatmeal Cookies, or Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
Desserts with similar cozy flavors are Winter Wishing Cookies, Christmas Spice Brownies, Orange Craisin Chip Pound Cake, Chocolate Spice Cinnamon Rolls, Spiced Walnut Cookies, and Victorian Mourning Cakes.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Spiced Hot Chocolate
- 2 cups milk 2% or whole
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ tsp orange zest
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp Cozy Cocoa spice mix see below
- Whipped cream optional, for serving
- Cinnamon stick optional, for serving
Cozy Cocoa Spice Mix
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together the Cozy Cocoa Spice Mix ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Set aside.
- Zest the orange and set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the milk, cream, chocolate chips, orange zest, vanilla extract, salt, and ½ tsp of the Cozy Cocoa Spice Mix in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
- Heat ingredients, whisking regularly, until chocolate is completely melted and the hot chocolate mixture is near to simmering.
- Remove Spiced Hot Chocolate from stove and pour into large mugs. Serve while hot or warm, either plain or garnished with whipped cream, grated nutmeg and/or cinnamon, orange zest. Add a cinnamon stick for a festive touch.
