The Moorings – Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate is such a comforting and dreamy experience (apart from when you’ve lost your hat, of course!)

Just the thought of it  conjures up images of snuggled up in dressing gowns clutching the hot mug between your hands and sipping carefully at the steaming chocolate.

Yummy!

Quite often we reach for the instant packet of hot chocolate; great for speed and convenience, but not so great on the sugar. Commercially bought Hot Chocolate is always way too seer for my liking.

Why not make your own hot chocolate?

The only ingredient which isn’t probably already in your store cupboard is the vanilla pod.

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Okay, so we’ve got a vanilla pod. Here goes a smooth and creamy Hot Chocolate recipe that hits all the right notes.

Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

1 litre/1¾ pints milk

150g/5½oz plain chocolate,  in small pieces

sugar, to taste

freshly grated nutmeg, for dusting

To Prepare

1. Heat the vanilla pod, seeds and milk in a saucepan until boiling.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate pieces, stirring until the chocolate melts.
3. Whisk until frothy on top and add sugar, to taste.
4. Serve with a dusting of nutmeg.

Variations

– Add a cinnamon stick in at step one to give it a little extra twist.