It’s cold season here in Nairobi, well it’s supposed to be cold. However we’ve had a fair share of sun and dust this July. Anyway, today is gloomy and cold and what better way to keep the cold at bay than enjoying a cup of hot chocolate?
I have never made hot chocolate at home and I’m not talking of stirring drinking chocolate in milk, I mean the real deal. Milk and lotsa chocolate. Anyway a few weeks back as I was talking with Cici, a fellow foodie and blogger, we started talking hot chocolate and she told me that what we get from these Nairobi coffee shops is a total rip off compared to the real deal. She even mentioned that she had an easy recipe on her blog and recommended it to me.
I decided to give her recipe a try.
I used only a handful of ingredients.
- 1 litre of milk
- 250g dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
- 2 -3 cinnamon sticks
- Marshmallows for garnish
Put the milk and the cinnamon sticks in a milkpan/sufuria and bring to a gentle boil. Cinnamon flavour always warms me up and hence my addition to the hot chocolate. You can use ground cinnamon instead.
As the milk comes to a boil, roughly cut the dark chocolate. If you know me, you will know that I absolutely love chocolate, the darker the better.
I can neither deny nor confirm that I nibbled on a few chocolate pieces as I was cutting them 🙂
Once the milk has come to a boil, turn off the heat and take out the cinnamon sticks. Add in the chocolate pieces and some sugar. The sugar is totally optional.
Let it stand for a minute or so, or if you are as excited as I was you can go ahead and stir.
Serve in a cup and enjoy.
As if it was not chocolate enough, I added some melted chocolate.
Feeling even naughtier? Top off with some whipped cream.
Verdict: Heart warming! Very chocolatey, I definitely enjoyed.
Variations: You can add mint leaves instead of the cinnamon sticks.
It can be served either hot or cold.
Video:
Homemade Hot Chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 50gm dark chocolate pieces
- 3 cinnamon sticks/ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar - optional
Instructions
In a milk pan/sufuria pour in the milk and add the cinnamon sticks and bring to a gentle boil.
Once the milk has boiled, turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon sticks.
Add in the chocolate pieces and sugar.
Stir with a metal spoon until the chocolate has melted.
Serve and enjoy.
You can top it with some whipped cream.
Hiyo dark chocolate ni gani?
I used some I bought from a shop along jainsala road in town. The shop is called Kantaria I bought a whole kg. You can use bournville dark chocolate by cadbury.
must try during this cold weather…shukran gatuiri
Yes, you totally should, it will definitely warm you up. Karibu
Going to try that ASAP! lovely post.
http://thewineandfoodreview.com
Thanks Jean. Enjoy!
Beautiful blog, I like the look.
lovely …my brother loves hot chocolate.have never known what it is made of..must try.Will be a new wed in a months time.Thenx for helping me perfect my cooking tips.God bless you gatuiri
Thanks Virgie. Oh wow, congratulations. I’m sure you are counting down the days. All the best in your planning and enjoy your day. God bless you too.