Nothing says cozy, comforting, and warm quite like a mug of hot chocolate—and having recently traveled from Alabama to Ohio, that's exactly what I need.
As much as we may try to deny it, winter is quickly approaching. In my opinion, there are multiple steps of preparation needed. One, of course, is to buy an abundance of hats and scarves, which I plan on doing at 5 a.m. Friday morning. But I will also be sure to have an abundance of comfort food (and drink!) recipes on hand, like Maddie's Mac & Cheese, creamy tomato soup, and now, this spiced hot chocolate with fluffy, light-as-air vanilla whipped cream.
As someone who obsesses over adding coffee to every baked good, it almost seems wrong not to add instant coffee to my hot chocolate. You can't taste it much, but it adds a nice kick of caffeine and deepens the richness of the chocolate. With just a bit of sugar and a good dose of cinnamon and nutmeg, this hot chocolate isn't overly sweet. There's no sugar in the whipped cream, just vanilla, but it gets perfectly sweetened from a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
So turn on the fireplace, put on some pajamas, and embrace the winter season. Trust us, It's much easier with a mug of this hot chocolate in your hand. Oh, and quick note: We made our whipped cream with a stand mixer, but there are a crazy amount of different ways to do it. Check them out in this comprehensive write-up.
Spiced Hot Chocolate with Vanilla Whipped Cream
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the hot chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk (or almond milk)
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. unsweeteneed cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp. instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg
For the whipped cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Toppings (optional, but recommended)
- chocolate syrup
- chocolate chips
Instructions
Place all ingredients (except for whipped cream and toppings) in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes or until heated through.
Combine the heavy whipping cream and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla together on medium/high speed until it forms whipped cream.
Pour the hot chocolate into two mugs and top generously with whipped cream. Drizzle each mug with chocolate syrup, and top with chocolate chips and a dusting of cinnamon.
Adapted heavily from Diethood.
Enjoy!
grace