Chai Spiced Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate. Probably one of the biggest staple drinks in an American Christmas — bc eggnog? gross. (i said what i said).

Anyways, I digress. I love this recipe because it melds my current two cultures together into one delicious, heart warming bowl of goodness that’s comforting, warm, spiced, and the perfect drink to share with a friend. it’s got all the good things you need (minus those crunchy and delicious marshmallows you get in hot chocolate packets) — dark chocolate, brown sugar, milk, and the best part? The cinnamon vanilla whipped topping — and trust me — you do NOT want to skip out on that.

Chai Spiced Hot Chocolate

serves 2 - 20 minutes

1.5 cups whole milk

1/3 cup cream (I used Amul Cream)

4 tbs brown sugar

1.5 tbs unsweetened cocoa

4 oz dark chocolate (I used Amul Dark Chocolate)

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp instant coffee

1 tbs vanilla

Cinnamon - Vanilla Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (see note)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbs vanilla

2 tbs powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1. Stir everything except the vanilla together in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla.

2. For the Cinnamon - Vanilla Whipped Cream, add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, beat the ingredients on high speed for about 2 minutes until stiff peaks form.

3. Serve the hot chocolate with the whipped cream and enjoy!

Note: For the Cinnamon - Vanilla Whipped Cream I used buffalo malai (cream) that I skim off the top of our daily milk delivery. If you don’t have fresh cream available in South Asia, you can use Amul Cream, but with a caveat. If using Amul Cream for the whipped cream, you’ll need to refrigerate the cream beforehand so that the cream and added milk separate. Then, when ready to use, I would cut open the box and make sure to either pour out the milk inside or just scrape the cream off the top of the box. Amul Cream is toned with milk, so if you try to whip the box without separating the milk, stiff peaks won’t form and it will be soupy. You could also use the boxed instant whipped cream powder, just add the cinnamon to the ingredients and whip as the box suggests.

Note for my States friends: When making the Cinnamon - Vanilla Whipped Cream, use heavy whipping cream. If you don’t want to make your own, you can use cool whip and just fold in some cinnamon.

Note: if you want to use whole spices, you totally could, but you’d want to steep the hot milk in them and strain them out after about 5 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and continuing with the recipe.