What can be better on a cold winter day than enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with the loved ones? Homemade hot chocolate! Nothing can be quite as pleasant, I tell you.

I love hot chocolate and I make it quite often during winter time for my family and friends. Everyone loves it! And why shouldn’t they? It tastes great, it warms you up and relaxes you. It is also a great drink for watching your favourite movie or reading a book. Not to mention that chocolate produces serotonin in our brain, which is the happiness hormone. Yes, chocolate might be high in calories, but, consumed moderately, it has certain benefits for your health. And if you prepare the homemade hot chocolate at home from scraps, as I do, you avoid lots of unwanted ingredients. So who would like a cup of warm happiness after a long working day? I do!

So let’s proceed on preparing a cup of homemade hot chocolate.

We need:

50g of dark chocolate

2 tsp unsweetened cacao

2 cup of whole milk

¼ cup of fresh cream

1 tsp rum

1 pinch of salt

Brown sugar, cinnamon and dried chili powder to taste

Preparation:

Shred the chocolate and place it in to a bowl with sugar and cocoa.

Pour the milk and the fresh cream in a pan, on low fire. Add a pinch of salt. When warm, add the chocolate with sugar and cocoa powder. Stir constantly until everything is melted, but don’t let it boil. It has to stay on the stove until the mixture has a fairly thick consistency. Now add a pinch of cinnamon, dried chili powder to taste and the rum. Stir for about one more minute. You can add marshmallows or star anise if you like, I prefer it simple, just a bit spiced.

Your homemade chocolate is now ready to be served..

Happy Holidays !