Orange Hot Chocolate Recipe
At this time of year, there is nothing more comforting than a really good cup of hot chocolate. We’ve been asked a few times already how to go about making an orange hot chocolate, so we thought we’d put pen to paper and share our most trusted recipe for this ever-popular winter favourite.
Ingredients (to make a 12oz drink)
Use a 28g (standard scoop) of the best quality hot chocolate powder you can find (our favourite and the best seller is Zuma Original). Remember that most of what you are going to taste is the chocolate, don’t be tempted to skimp on this and use low-cocoa high-sugar stuff from the local supermarket – no recipe can disguise it no matter how many other ingredients you are loading on top of it!
Mix the chocolate powder with a splash of hot water, just enough to make a smooth paste, then add steamed milk (preferably whole milk), and stir together. You can use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk of course, but it will taste thinner and not have the same velvety texture.
Add two shots of Monin Orange Curacao syrup, or Routin Triple Sec (Bitter Orange). Remember that the standard orange syrups don’t mix with milk as they are too acidic and will curdle with the milk. Also try to avoid the temptation to add more shots, it can get too sweet when you add a few toppings.
Why not make it the ultimate indulgence and top it with some whipped cream, mini marshmallows (which melt better than the large ones) and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. A little grated orange peel on the top before serving makes it look amazing.
Try serving this to your customers and you’ll be amazed at the response. We’ve made these here in the office too (all in the name of research you understand…) and the description really can’t do it justice. Try it yourself, and let us know if you have your own take on this recipe that we can share.
We’ve got lots of other hot chocolate recipes for you to try, or just experiment with some yourself. If you’re using flavouring syrups to make your own creation, don’t forget that anything with citric acid (lime, lemon, grapefruit, etc) is going to curdle when added to the milk. Stick with the syrups we’ve mentioned in this recipe, anything with nuts, toffee, butterscotch or chocolate is going to work well.
Enjoy!
