Orange Hot chocolate

"Feast of Saint Valentine" 

There is just something about a rich warm cup of hot chocolate that makes you feel warm, fuzzy and special inside. If you’ve read my post on a chocolate orange crepe you would have already known I have an obsession with the flavors of orange and chocolate paired. I don’t know what it is, but I think the sweet citrus aromas of an orange with milk chocolate are just the perfect match. In my book, nothing else pairs better with chocolate; not mint, not strawberries, not even hazelnut (sorry Nutella). Orange and chocolate equal’s bliss, and this orange hot chocolate is blissful.

 Everyone has made hot chocolate some time in their life.  Most of us are used to ready-made 3 in 1 sachets by swiss miss and nestle. Those are ok, but when you really make a pot of cocoa on the stove with cream, cinnamon, vanilla and the works, it’s a far cry from the quick cups. I find it really interesting that Ive never actually made this version of hot chocolate before. I make this tea almost every weekend for my father, and in trying to think of chocolate recipe ideas for valentines day I figured a hot chocolate would be great, but needed something to make it special.

There is a bit of a debate as to what it tastes like. Its really delicious, almost like a creamy chocolate candy with an extra flavor you can’t figure out. My sister said it taste like fruity pebbles or fruit loops, my mother said is there lemon in it? It’s so yummy you can’t stop drinking it and it smells amazing. To me its taste like smarties chocolate coated candies (British MnM’s ) I would say they also taste like Terrys chocolate oranges, however the chocolate is not as strong and the drink leaves more of a citrus tingle on your tongue that you don’t get from the candy.

This is going to have to be a weekly treat, there is no way I can go back to having regular hot chocolate once an orange is in the fruit basket.

 Ingredients (printable recipe)

2 cup cream

2 cups milk

Zest of a whole orange

4 tbsp. Milo

1 tbsp. Hershey unsweetened coco powder

½ tsp. coffee

2 pinch of salt

1 ½ tbsp. brown sugar

Dash of cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions

  

• Zest one whole orange
• Pour milk and cream into a pot and warm on low heat
• Keep the mixture on the heat on the lowest setting while you make the tea don’t allow it to boil
• Add the orange zest and stir, allowing the orange to permeate into the milk 3 to 5 minutes
• Add milo, coco powder, coffee and mix
• Lastly add the sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla
• When the sugar is dissolved strain the mixture and serve

Greedy Tip: 

• The slices of oranges on the side are a great palette cleaner, the tea is very rich and creamy and the fruit does a good job of removing the coating from your mouth.
•  I like to use more Milo than Coco powder because of the malt in Milo it just makes it smoother and creamier, straight coco powder would make the chocolate too rich for me.

Xoxo Greedygirl