Black Cherry Hot Chocolate
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I was never a huge fan of hot chocolate.
It wasn't the chocolate part I never liked, it was the hot part.
I sound a little strange right now, but I never drank tea or coffee, so hot chocolate was never on my top list of drinks to devour. I'm always pretty warm, so a hot drink just made things a lot worse. This all changed in February 2009, while I was in Paris during a college trip. I was absolutely freezing and my tutor could see me suffering and was kind enough to offer to buy me a warm drink. She was slightly shocked when I said I don't drink anything hot, but with a bit of persuasion, she brought me a hot chocolate. I don't know if it was because I was that cold, or because it was that delicious, but since that moment, I became a converted hot chocolate fan.
Along with all the bakes I'm making this blogmas, I am including two drinks. One of which is this hot chocolate, and another which is something on the complete opposite end of the scale, but I'm going to leave that as a little surprise for you.
Hot chocolates is so versatile and can come in any flavour you like. A few different sweeteners, extracts, or spices, and you'll create a new tasty combination. I wouldn't say this is the most extravagant of flavours, but I absolutely love it. Cherries are my favourite fruit, so if they're contained in anything edible, I'm taking it.
The hot chocolate recipe is very, very simple. Feel free to alter it to match your own preference. I like mine a little sweet. A few blogmas' ago, I made hot chocolate spoons and baubles, so if you're a huge fan of hot chocolate, or know someone who is, that's a great option for you to make and/or share. I honestly can't believe it will be two years on Thursday since I made those. My precision and experimentation with photography has definitely changed a lot! I've totally got sidetracked here... back to the hot chocolate.
I chose to use black cherries instead of maraschino cherries because I find those to be really sweet, and with the sweetness of the chocolate, you need something to balance it out. Making the black cherry syrup is very easy. All you need to do is blend together the cherries (make sure they're pitted) and the syrup from the tin. It might be a light sugared syrup, or just it's natural juice, both will work fine. Add a small amount of liquid at a time to get the right consistency; there should be no bits and easy to pour. This hot chocolate is the perfect drink for those cold days and nights; a sweet chocolate taste, with a hint of cherries, finished with coconut cream, mini marshmallows, and gold edible glitter.
BLACK CHERRY HOT CHOCOLATE
This recipe makes 1 warm cup of hot chocolate.- 1/2 cup black cherries + syrup
- 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 blocks of dairy-free chocolate
- 1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extracts
- Coconut cream (optional)
- Mini marshmallows and edible glitter (optional)
INGREDIENTS
- Using a blender, blend the pitted black cherries, and slowly add the syrup from the tin. Don't add too much, just enough so the cherries are fully blended. Leave to one side.
- In a small saucepan and on a low heat, warm up the dairy-free milk. Once warm, add the cocoa powder and mix until it's fully combined.
- Add the blended cherries, and other ingredients (minus the coconut cream, marshmallows, and edible glitter).
- Once they have all combined, pour into a heatproof glass or mug, top with coconut cream, marshmallows and sprinkle with edible glitter. Enjoy.
INSTRUCTIONS
Such a quick and easy recipe, but so, so tasty. Let me know in the comments below what is your favourite flavour of hot chocolate. Tomorrow we have a craft post coming up, and it's one of my favourites. Check behind the next door on the advent calendar to see if you can guess!
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