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On a cozy winter afternoon, nothing sounds better than a rich cup of hot chocolate. But what if you need a caffeine boost, too? The solution is to combine two delicious drinks into one: hot chocolate with espresso. We’ll show you how to make this delicious treat at home, plus offer a few brewing tips and flavor suggestions. Get ready to meet your new favorite drink!
Hot Chocolate with Espresso
Homemade hot chocolate with a shot of espresso is a decadent, deeply satisfying treat. Melt a good quality dark chocolate into milk, add a cinnamon stick, and top it all off with a bold shot of espresso! This cocoa’s nothing like the kind from a mix.
Prep time
3 min
Cook time
15 min
Total time
18 min
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Espresso maker
- Whisk
- Large mug
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2.5 ounces dark chocolate
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 shot espresso (or ½ cup coffee)
- Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the milk and cinnamon into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low until simmering but not boiling, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the chocolate and sugar. Whisk until they’re fully dissolved, then continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the spiced hot chocolate into your large mug.
- Pull a shot of espresso (or make ½ cup of strong coffee) and pour it straight into the mug. Stir the drink and top with whipped cream if you’d like!
Espresso Hot Chocolate Recipe Variations
Not quite ready to start brewing? Here are a few tips to help you along.
Hot Chocolate
Our recipe has you make hot chocolate from scratch. By heating milk and mixing it in a high-quality chocolate bar, you can make a gourmet drink and skip the bland powders. We recommend using a brand of chocolate that you’d eat plain -- as gourmet as you are willing to pay for -- for the best, richest results. If you don’t want to go through all the hassle, you can use your favorite hot chocolate mix instead. Your drink will be fast, easy, and inexpensive, but you will miss out on some amazing flavors.
Image By: Nica Cn, Unplash
Spices
We’re big fans of the cinnamon and chocolate flavor combination most often found in Mexican coffee, and that’s why we never miss an opportunity to add cinnamon to our chocolate drinks. In this recipe, we add it using cinnamon sticks, which are easy to fish out when the milk finishes simmering. If you’re not a fan of spiced cocoa, skip the cinnamon! Don’t have any cinnamon sticks on hand? Use ground cinnamon instead. Prefer nutmeg, pumpkin spice, or cayenne for an extra spicy hot chocolate? Substitute to your heart’s content!
Final Thoughts
Time to make a cup of hot chocolate with espresso! We hope you enjoy this easy recipe -- and maybe get a chance to experiment with the flavors, too. With this drink, you don’t have to choose between satisfying chocolate and energizing espresso. RELATED READS:
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash
