Good evening everyone! How’s your week been? I hope you’ve had a great one. It’s now December (did anyone see November? I swear it was Halloween yesterday), which means we can officially start getting excited about Christmas and people can’t complain about it being too early – hoorah!
To celebrate December, my favourite month, I’m bringing you this Spiced Orange Hot Chocolate to help get you in the mood for the festive season. It’s chocolatey, rich, and oozes all the flavours you want at Christmas – orange, cinnamon, nutmeg…ah.
It’s suitable for vegans, and I definitely didn’t put any gluten in there so if you’re gluten-free it should be fine for you, too. This hot chocolate would be great if you’re curling up on the sofa with a blanket and a Christmas film, or you could have it as a dessert, or just when your sweet tooth comes knocking.
It does contain actual chocolate, so perhaps don’t drink it multiple times a day if you want to avoid a trip to the dentist. As a treat though, it’s perfect!
Let’s get this hot chocolate on the way, shall we?
Ingredients
- 2 mugs of almond milk
- 4 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cardamom pods
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 cloves
- 4 tsp orange juice
- 2 tsp cocoa powder (I recommend Cadbury Bournville Cocoa)
- 4 squares of dark chocolate, finely chopped (most dark chocolate is vegan-friendly, but do check the label to be sure).
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to a large pan over a low heat.
- Continue to stir until your hot chocolate is actually hot and the chocolate pieces have melted
- Using a sieve to remove the zest, cardamom pods and cloves, pour your drink into the most festive mug you can find.
- Enjoy on the sofa with a blanket and a purring cat (purring cat optional).
I hope you like it and it leaves you feeling like a cosy little Christmas Elf. What’s your favourite Christmas tipple? Let me know below!