Spiced Orange Hot Chocolate

Recently, I discovered something rather special...

If you ask very politely, a lot of well-known coffee shops will be prepared to make you one of their extra special and (sort of) secret 'off-menu' drinks. I found this out, after a verrrry long day at work, when I popped into a nearby Costa Coffee that had gone to the trouble of writing out, on a separate blackboard, all the extra drinks they could offer weary customers such as myself. The barista, noticing my rather frazzled appearance, pointed the board out to me and kindly suggested that, as I looked a bit stressed out on this soggy October afternoon, perhaps I'd like to ditch my usual Earl Grey (as I work practically next door, they know me quite well in there now!) and try their newest concoction: an orange hot chocolate. 

The staff in this particular Costa are always super-duper friendly and very keen to improve their customers' day- even by just a little bit. So, I took the barista up on his suggestion and ordered myself the orange hot chocolate...with extra marshmallows and sprinkles :) 

It did not disappoint. Within seconds of taking my first sip, I felt my shoulders relaxing and my face un-screwing itself. The warmth of the hot chocolate mixed with the rather christmassy aroma of orange and cinnamon was enough to make the stress of my day melt into nothingness... this drink was a much-needed change from my usual cuppa. Nuff said.    

Safe to say, as I've not had the chance to nip into my fave Costa for a bit, I've been craving that yummy orange hot chocolate ever since! So, this weekend, I decided I would try and make my own. 

You don't need a lot of ingredients for a mug of this chocolatey perfection, just a few yummy flavours that you can mix and match as you like. 

So here's my recipe, if you'd like to give it a whirl :)  

To make one mug of hot chocolate,

In a small pan, warm together:

• around 500ml of milk
• 50g dark chocolate
• a good splash of orange extract
• a pinch of cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice
• two teaspoons of Nutella 
• three teaspoons of cocoa

When everything has melted together nicely, pour the mixture into a teacup and then give it a good swirl with a cinnamon stick. You can top your hot chocolate with anything you like- cream, marshmallows, sprinkles...just go for it! I actually prefer to drink this one plain, as its incredibly rich and thick as it is, but if you're all about the extra toppings then don't hold back :) This is meant to be a serious, self-indulgent treat!   

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! It's a perfect antidote for those chilly, windswept days we're enduring at the moment. Let me know if you decide to give it a go, I'd love to know what you think of my recipe :)

In the meantime...

All the love,

Sian x