The perfect hot chocolate for your cozy winter nights in your jammies watching Home Alone reruns! It’s deliciously spiced, creamy, and just the right amount of chocolatey.
We are entering winter soon, so winter content is now coming in hot, along with Christmas content as well, which you’ll get to see very shortly! We’re starting off with this Saffron & Cardamom Hot Chocolate.
This is the one recipe you’ll want to keep in your pocket for the next time you’re all snuggly in your jammies with your blanky on, on your third rerun of Home Alone, and in need of a good cup of hot chocolate. One that doesn’t require you to angrily put on your winter jacket just to brace the cold and go to your favorite café for one. Or worse… half-heartedly reach out to the back of your cupboard and dust off a packet of instant hot chocolate (trust me, I tried to love them, but I just couldn’t).
To be honest, I’m very precise about how I like my hot chocolate. Contrary to popular preference, I actually prefer mine to be less chocolatey. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Minaa, that’s the whole point of hot chocolate, it’s supposed to be chocolatey?!” And you’re right. But who says I can’t have my cake and eat it too? That’s exactly why this recipe is perfect: it’s chocolatey without being too much (I hope that makes sense haha!).
It’s also ridiculously easy to make, 5 minutes to prep and 5 minutes to bring it all together, and you’re sitting on the couch enjoying this creamy, deliciously spiced hot chocolate.
Now, run and make this, and tell the barista at the café you’re a regular at that you won’t be needing their hot chocolate this winter because you’ve got this recipe. BAM! I just saved you $6. Don’t forget to share it on your socials with @saffronandsunday and tag me if you’ve made it and love it!
Saffron & Cardamom Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Spiced Chocolate Ganache Base
- 70 g Milk Chocolate
- 30 g Dark Chocolate
- 100 ml Heavy Cream
- 0.10 g Saffron Threads
- ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
- Sugar/Sweetener
Hot Chocolate
- 640 ml Whole Milk
Toppings (optional)
- Whipped Cream
- Ground Cinnamon
- Marsmellows
- Caramel Drizzle
Instructions
- Begin by roughly chopping the chocolates and placing it in a mixing bowl. Add the saffron threads, ground cardamom, and ground nutmeg.
- Add the heavy cream to a milk pan and heat it over medium heat until there are little bubbles forming along the sides of the pan and plenty of steam (do not let it boil). Then remove it from the heat and pour the hot cream directly into the mixing bowl with the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes.
- There's two ways to froth the milk: 1) Heat the milk in a milk pan over medium heat until little bubbles form around the edges and you see a lot of steam (do not let it boil). Remove from the heat and use a handheld frother to froth the milk. 2) If you have an electric milk frother, you can pour the milk into that and froth it directly (no need to heat the milk beforehand).
- Once the milk has been frothed, set it aside.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the mixing bowl, add the vanilla essence to the chocolate and cream, and whisk everything until well combined.
- Divide the spiced chocolate ganache base evenly between four cups. Add sugar or sweetener, if using, and pour the frothed milk evenly into all four cups. Give it a gentle stir.
- Optionally, finish with whipped cream, ground cinnamon, and marshmallows. Enjoy!
