Recipe for hot chocolate with homemade chai spices
For many, hot chocolate takes us back to our childhood. This hot beverage plays a comforting role and restores our energy. No wonder it is often consumed following winter physical activity. Since chocolate is associated with pleasure, why not warm up with a good homemade hot chocolate this winter!
The hot chocolate of our childhood being rather sweet and composed of cocoa powder. This time we will make an improved recipe using real dark chocolate. Smoothness and flavors will therefore be in the foreground.
Choose your chocolate
First, a few tips for choosing the right chocolate. Dark chocolates can have different flavor profiles. I recommend a chocolate with a balanced profile, which will have a rather low or moderate acidity. The acidity stands out more in a hot liquid. For example, I love using chocolate from Ecuador since it very often has notes of nuts and earth which gives an excellent result in a hot drink.
For the percentage of cocoa, everything will depend on your tastes and eating habits. The most unifying will be a 70% cocoa chocolate. For people who like a stronger drink, the 80% chocolate will be perfect for you. For those who very rarely consume sugar or sweet foods, you could opt for a 90% cocoa chocolate or even a 100% cocoa chocolate.
Build time : 3 mins
Quantity : one 250ml cup of hot chocolate
Storage : Can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator, but it will surely be consumed immediately.
Ingredients:
- 20g finely chopped dark chocolate.
- 120ml of water.
- 120 ml of vegetable milk or cow's milk.
- 1 teaspoon ground chai spice blend.
- A pinch of chilli (if you like a little heat in your hot chocolate).
Production step (individual portion):
- Bring the water to a boil with the spice mix. Then book.
- Heat the milk in parallel with the microwave.
- Chop the chocolate finely then put it in a small bowl or cup.
- Pour the hot milk over the chocolate then stir vigorously to obtain a smooth texture.
- Add spiced hot water to the mug.
- Stir for a good minute to froth everything. You can use a milk frother to get a nice thick froth.
If you don't have chai spices at home, you can make your own blend with whatever you like. For example you could finely grind cloves, fennel, cardamom, pepper and ginger. The other option you could buy our chai bar which already has the spices and will save you a step.
Make hot chocolate for a group
If you are a big group and you want to please everyone, it is also possible. You will have to make a chocolate ganache that you will lengthen in a large quantity of hot chocolate. In addition, you can make a water ganache to be able to make hot chocolates daily faster. In this case, take 1/4 cup of ganache for 250ml of liquid (water or water+milk). The ganache will keep for a month in the refrigerator.
Production time : 15 minutes
Quantity : 2.5L of hot chocolate (about 10 people)
Storage : Can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator, but it will surely be consumed immediately.
Ingredients:
- 250g finely chopped dark chocolate.
- 1 liter of water.
- 1.5 L ml of vegetable milk or cow's milk.
- 3 tablespoons ground chai spice mix.
Manufacturing step for a group:
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
- Take a large saucepan to be able to make all the hot chocolate mixture. Add water and spices and bring to a boil. Let stand 2-3 minutes.
- Heat the milk in the microwave.
- Mix the melted chocolate with 250 ml of spicy hot water, whisking vigorously. Slowly add water. The idea is to emulsify the chocolate and obtain a smooth and thick mixture. You will then have a chocolate ganache.
- Pour your ganache into the pan with the rest of the hot water. Stir again vigorously. You will have a concentrated hot chocolate. Add the hot milk and stir one last time.
- Serve ;-).
You are now ready to enjoy a good hot chocolate. Feel free to adjust it to your liking. It is important to mention that the more milk is added, the more the chocolate flavors fade. Water-based hot chocolates are less known but are very aromatic. It all depends on what you feel like that day.