Today’s recipe is served with a side order of sadness.
Cue X-Factor style sob-story music.
Three Christmases ago something magical happened. I walked into my neighbourhood Starbucks, ready to get myself into the festive spirit and drink something seasonal from one of those gorgeous red cups, and noticed something magical on the menu – the Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate. Gasp! This brand new creation sounded delightful, and I was eager to had over my Starbucks card for the chance to try it.
Did it disappoint? Hell no. This was essentially a Toblerone hot chocolate in a (absolutely beatiful) paper cup. I spent the next few months enjoying at least one of these drinks each week, and was absolutely delighted to see the Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate make a reappearance the Christmas after! Maybe this one was for keeps?
Alas, this was not to be. Last Christmas I gave Starbucks my heart, and they blended it up into a Fudge Hot Chocolate.
But everything’s okay now – I’ve made my own. Don’t you just love a happy ending?
More than half a Toblerone, lashings of whole milk, some double cream, and a hint of almond and runny honey make this drink the most incredible hot chocolate ever. Hands down. Don’t even bother looking elsewhere.
And seriously, it’s definitely the easiest recipe on my blog, by far. Throw some things in a saucepan (most of which you’ve already got lying around in your store cupboard) and bring to the boil. Pour into some cute mugs, and top with mini marshmallows (of course!) and some chocolate sauce. Did someone say whipped cream? Go for it!
The recipe below makes two decent sized mug fulls, but it can easily be doubled (or tripled!) if you’ve got a whole bunch of friends to warm up this winter. Or you just want to drink your own body weight in Toblerone. And I wouldn’t blame you AT ALL.
I don’t know what it is about Toblerone that makes me think of Christmas, because actually, I never really have it during the festive season. That needs to change! I’m calling it – Toblerone hot chocolate is a new holiday tradition.
TOBLERONE HOT CHOCOLATE
The most incredible hot chocolate in existence! Made with milk AND cream, with a generous helping of Toblerone chocolate too, of course. Inspired by Starbucks’ Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate (RIP).
| Prep Time: 15 min | Total Time: 15min |
| INGREDIENTS | INSTRUCTIONS |
| 480ml (2 cups) whole milk 80ml (1/3 cup) double or heavy cream 100g (3.5oz) Toblerone, chopped into pieces ¼ – ½ teaspoon almond extract 1-2 tablespoons clear honey Mini marshmallows (optional) Chocolate sauce (optional) | 1. Place all the ingredients (except the marshmallows and chocolate sauce!) into a medium saucepan, and heat on medium, stirring almost constantly, until it starts to come to the boil. The Toblerone chocolate should be completely melted, although there will still be some little little specks of white nougat in there. You can leave these in (like I do) or strain the hot chocolate through a very fine sieve to get rid of them. 2. Remove from the heat and pour into two mugs. Top with mini marshmallows, drizzle with chocolate sauce, and drink immediately. |