· gluten-free · soy-free · nut-free

Hot chocolate is no doubt one of our absolute favorite treats not just during the holidays but literally at any time. If you read our previous blog post on the Festive Dark Chocolate Bars you’ll know how much we like chocolate and so chocolate melted into a drink is pretty much our idea of heaven.

And I, Ariana, have to say that Eduardo’s hot chocolate is hands down the. best. hot. chocolate. I. have. ever. tried! Not just because he’s my husband but it genuinely is. In fact, the first hot chocolate he ever made for me might have been what made me fall in love with him. Just sayin.’

This hot chocolate is incredibly rich and creamy even though (!) we don’t use any plant-based milk. Just water. The secret is the warming spices which are cinnamon, ground anise, and ground cloves here. They are what make this hot chocolate so flavorful and indulgent. The only other ingredients are dark chocolate, a pinch of salt, and maple syrup to sweeten it since we’re using 100% dark chocolate.

This recipe is so simple yet so good you’re going to be making this time and time again.

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

 

milk vs. water in HOt chocolate

The reason we use water only in this recipe is because using any kind of milk will take away the flavor of the chocolate. The flavor of the milk overpowers it slightly and you can’t taste it as much. However, if you use water, which is tasteless, it absorbs the flavors you add to it so it can act as a sponge for all the spices and chocolate to just melt into.

That’s why it’s important to use the best quality chocolate you can find. Because the whole point of this hot chocolate is that you taste the richness of the chocolate. We don’t want to add a whole bunch of other flavors that take away from that. That’s why you want to be wary of any hot chocolate that’s served to you that looks pale or only slightly brown. Chances are there probably isn’t a lot of chocolate in there or a lot has been added to it to mask the flavor of the chocolate.

In this recipe, we’re using 100% dark chocolate and add maple syrup to sweeten it. We get our chocolate in the form of a block from Whole Foods and even though it’s not much fun to chop (it’s hard as a rock!), it’s pretty good.

The point is this: use the best quality 100% dark chocolate you can find.

 

TOPPINGS

We served our mugs of hot chocolate with vegan whipped “cream” made from aquafava. If you don’t know what aquafava is, it’s the bean water in a can of chickpeas or the water leftover from when you cook chickpeas at home. It was brilliantly discovered that when you whip it up with an electric mixer and some sugar it acts the same way as egg whites do and whips up into a meringue-like mixture! It’s quite amazing and a discovery that the vegan world is very thankful for!

We’ve made two batches of whipped aquafava here: one flavored with cinnamon and one to which we added a little ground turmeric which made it a nice pale yellow color!

Of course, you can top your hot chocolate with whatever your heart desires. Try some vegan marshmallows, cookies, chocolate sprinkles, cinnamon sticks…. the world is your oyster!

 

Watch the recipe video here:

 

Dark Vegan Hot Chocolate

Serves 3-4

4 cups | 800ml water or plant-based milk of choice

1 tsp | 2g ground cinnamon

2 pinches ground star anise

1 pinch ground cloves

1/3 cup | 60ml maple syrup

1/2 cup | 73g chopped 100% dark chocolate

1 pinch sea salt

1. Warm water on medium heat and add spices and maple syrup. Bring to a boil on medium flame.

2. Add chocolate and use a whisk to dissolve it for about 2 minutes until it’s completely emulsified and looks shiny.

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye on it and keep stirring every now and then to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom. Whisk in salt and remove from heat.

4. Transfer mixture to a high-speed blender and blend on high for about 20 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Some foam should form.

5. Serve hot with toppings of your choice. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days (4 days when made with milk). When reheating, you can add more water if the mixture has thickened too much in the fridge.

 

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

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