Name: Christmas hot chocolate
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp cocoa powder; 1 litre whole milk; pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve; pinch of ground nutmeg; 2 cloves; 1 star anise; 2 cardamom pods; 2 strips of orange peel; 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar; 100ml single cream; 100g dark chocolate; squirty cream; chocolate flakes, fingers or wafers; chocolate chips, mini marshmallows or fudge chunks; cinnamon sticks

Three mugs of Christmas hot chocolate topped with squirty cream, flakes and marshmallows

4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 litre whole milk
pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cloves
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods
2 strips of orange peel
3 tbsp soft light brown sugar
100ml single cream
100g dark chocolate

TO SERVE

squirty cream
chocolate flakes, fingers or wafers
chocolate chips, mini marshmallows or fudge chunks
cinnamon sticks

Method

step 1
Put the cocoa powder in a heatproof jug and mix in just enough milk to make a paste. Pour the rest of the milk into a pan and warm over a low heat until just simmering. Stir in all of the spices and the orange peel and leave for 30 mins to infuse.
step 2
Remove the whole spices and orange peel from the infused milk and bring back up to a simmer (being careful not to boil). Whisk the hot milk mixture into the cocoa paste until smooth, then pour back into the pan. Add the brown sugar, cream and chocolate, and heat gently over a low heat, stirring until everything is combined. Serve in mugs topped with squirty cream and any other toppings of your choice.