Chai Hot Chocolate
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes | Serves: 2
While I truly believe in the concept of comfort food, the idea of a comfort drink often resonates with me more. A lot of the food I cook is often what I crave, and fulfilling those cravings is my idea of comfort.
A comfort drink on the other hand is something that often warms the soul. This Chai hot chocolate is one of them.
Why you should try my Chai Hot Chocolate -
The smell of chai is something that gives me immense comfort. My grandmother makes herself a cup of masala chai twice, something thrice a day and loves drinking it piping hot, even in peak summer.
I never developed a taste for strong, sugary chai, but I do love infusing other hot drinks with black tea and warming spices: cardamom, cinnamon and, occasionally, ginger. Dark chocolate works beautifully with these flavours too, so combining them into a chai hot chocolate feels like the perfect antidote to a long (or cold) day.
I won't call this a recipe per se. This spiced hot chocolate is made for your taste, so you can adjust the ingredients depending on how much chai or chocolate you enjoy. I use a wonderful instant hot chocolate blend from Cuvée Chocolate which has 72% dark chocolate and sea salt for balance. For this recipe, I like adding extra hot chocolate powder for a slightly thicker, richer drink, but add more or less to suit your taste.
I’ve also included a recipe for my homemade chai mix and substitutes for Cuvee’s hot chocolate blend in the recipe notes below below.
This spiced hot chocolate is best enjoyed on a Sunday morning, or rainy weekend with a book and warm pastry on the side. Yum.
Ingredients
2 cups milk of your choice (I prefer full cream milk)
2-3 tsps homemade chai blend*
2-3 tsps Cuvée 72% Classic Dark Hot Chocolate powder
Honey or sugar, according to taste
Whipped cream and chocolate flakes, to serve
Method -
Pour the milk in a saucepan with the chai blend.
Bring to a gentle simmer stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat, cover and let it infuse for 5-10 minutes (the longer you leave it steeps, the stronger the chai flavour).
Strain the chai infused milk back into the saucepan.
Whisk in the hot chocolate powder with honey or sugar if desired, warming until smooth (don't let it boil).
If you like, froth the milk lightly with a milk frother at this stage.
Pour into two cups and serve hot, with a dollop of whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate on top.
*This recipe is made in collaboration with Cuvée Chocolate.
Check out my other chocolate recipes -
Swaps, Serves & Storage
How to make my chai blend -
Combine ½ cup black tea, 4 lightly crushed cardamom pods, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp ginger powder (optional). Mix together and store in air tight jar for up to 4 weeks.Do I have to use full milk? What alternative milk can I use for this Chai Hot Chocolate recipe?
If you want a really luxe, thick hot chocolate, then full cream milk is your best bet. If you prefer an alternative milk, I’ve found oat milk is the best replacement.What can I use instead of Cuvee’s hot chocolate powder?
You can use 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 100 gms of chopped dark chocolate instead.
