I manufacture a million ways to ensure that I get my chocolate fix every day. I sneak chocolate hazelnut spread into my coffee some mornings. I eat chocolate chips by the handful. Did you know you can make your own hardening chocolate ‘magic shell’ for ice cream with coconut oil? Chocolate in my cookies. Chocolate in my pancakes. The only thing I don’t put chocolate in is salad. And hash browns. And quiche… anyway. I get my chocolate fix in… we’ll leave it at that.
For some reason, my chocolate habit doesn’t usually include a mug of hot chocolate… mostly because I’m usually shoving it in my face as fast as possible. These cold cold days have had me craving a cup of creamy chocolate. This is that, with extra cinnamon, because because.
Original Photography Shot with the Canon EOS 6D Digital SLR. The perfect multimedia solution.
There are some special ingredients going on here. I mean… if we’re going to have a cup of hot chocolate, it should be primo! I used super dark, Black Onyx Cocoa Powder. This is the sort of coco powder that is super-dutched and tastes a bit like Oreo cookies. You know the flavor, right? Last year I made this Midnight Black Chocolate Pudding with this same cocoa powder. So delicious!
Of course you can use any kind of unsweetened cocoa powder that makes you happy. It’s your hot chocolate.
Oh! We’re using vanilla sugar too! I want every element of this hot chocolate to have a layer of flavor. To make this vanilla sugar, I rubbed vanilla beans, scraped from a vanilla pod into granulated sugar.
To flavor the milk, I heated it, tossed in a crumbled cinnamon stick and let the mixture steep for a few minutes.
Layers and layers of flavors!
Chocolate powder is whisked into the warm milk. This feels right.
Let us not forget the whipped cream. Heaven forbid.
I sure did drink both of these glasses. I even piled each glass with the remaining whipped cream. Waste not want not.
Chocolate meets warmth and comfort, with a hint of cinnamon. Chocolate consumption should always be this comforting… and it usually is.
Cinnamon Infused Hot Chocolate
makes 2 cups
2 cups whole milk (or any milk you like)
1 cinnamon stick
3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on your sweetness preference)
half a vanilla bean, split and beans scraped out
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons black onyx unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
ground cinnamon to garnish
Place milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the milk is steaming but not boiling. Remove from the heat. Crush the cinnamon stick slightly and add to the warm milk. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
While the milk and cinnamon steep, rub the vanilla bean into the granulated sugar, creating a fragrant vanilla sugar.
Once steeped, remove the cinnamon stick from the milk and discard. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla sugar to the warm milk. Heat over low heat, whisking constantly until the sugar and cocoa are completely dissolved.
While the cocoa is heating, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to soft peaks.
Divide hot cocoa between two glasses. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Enjoy immediately.
Lene Svingel
Joy, I just watched a few episodes of ‘bonkers awesome’ – you look so glamourous!
Enjoyed the recipes and getting enlighten on food photography. Lovely.
Nothing like hot chocolate to bring a spark of warmth into a cold and dark winters day. Also important to remember that chocolate is healthy, especially for women. Something with enzymes in the chocolate and chemistry in our brains – it makes us happy. Bring on the chocolate, I say!
Thanks for sharing this recipe
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I want this so bad right now….so I’ll make it tomorrow. I’m sad I have to wait, but so happy I’ll get this soon!
The slow pace
I love chocolate but I do’t usually like it mixed with cinnammon. And I love cinnamon! I don’t know, maybe I just want to love them separatedly… or maybe I tried a very bad Mexican cinnamon chocolate once that made me stay in bed for two days. How can a non alcoholic drink do that? Anyway… this looks amazing!
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Vickie
mmmm, yes please :)
Mommy G
Salivating all over the keyboard! Don’t have any milk at home – must get some asap!
https://maybetodayistheday1.blogspot.com/
gracebeekman
Holy smokes! These look so good! I’m down for anything “infused” with chocolate! YUM!
https://sometimesgracefully.com
shelly@ohshellsbells
the weather here could be described as frigid. it would be made more bearable with this hot chocolate. bless you, JTB
Belinda@themoonblushbaker
I think my fix of chocolate comes in the from of nutella sandwiches with challah bread because sandwich has to be good for doesn’t it?
Love the background in the last shot, did you make it yourself?
Kelster
What a coincidence. I was just thinking earlier that I needed to make cinnamon hot cocoa.
Ellen
The drink looks amazing although I was sidetracked by the fact that you put nutella in your coffee. That is a brilliant idea.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Mmm, now THAT looks great! And your wood board in back reminds me of the sky, and the whipped cream reminds me of clouds, and like these mugs of cocoa are just floating through the happy sky :) pinned
Laura
I had the exact same thoughts – happy hot chocolate whipped cream clouds floating on this dreamy sky background … oh so lovely!