Hot Chocolate & Cinnamon Toast

 

Brrr . . . I think we have had a colder Autumn this year than we have had in recent years and the past few days have been filled with cold showers and a wind that seems to bite right through to the bone.  This is what I like to call canoodling weather, snuggle down weather, cosy-in weather . . .  the beginning of hibernation! 

 

There is nothing quite like going for a brisk walk on a damp and cold, windy day and then returning to your house and snuggling by the fire with something hot to warm up your hands as you toast your toes! 

 

Not chocolate and cinnamon toast make a beautiful late afternoon light repast  . . .  with hot and creamy chocolate to sip on  . . . . 

 

and crisp, buttery toast batons gilded with sweet cinnamon sugar to munch on  . . .  the epitome of Hygge in my opinion.

 

Call me common, but I like to dip my cinnamon toast into the hot chocolate . . . 

 

That's why I cut the toast into batons instead of triangles . . . there is a method to my tasty madness! 

 

There is nothing quite so tasty as a hot chocolate built from scratch . . .  from simmered milk and vanilla and a really good chocolate . . .  you want one with a high cocoa content . . . it does make a difference.  

 

The vanilla goes beautifully.  One whole pod, seeds scraped out. No worries, you can dry the pod afterwards and shove it deep into your sugar jar where it can flavour your sugar.  Mmmm . . .  vanilla sugar.  I love it. 

 

Just look at how beautifully dark and creamy that hot chocolate is.  I use dark soft brown sugar, which helps to maintain the integrity of the colour and also gives an additional depth almost molasses like flavour . . .  

  

If you have a milk frother, do use it to froth some milk to spoon on top.  It looks beautiful and adds a depth of creaminess  . . .

 

This reminded me of when we were in Germany the first time we went together, and we ordered a hot chocolate at a cafe.  They asked did we want cream.  Well  . . .  why not! 

  

It came to the table with about six inches of whipped cream piled on top . . .  no slight exaggeration!  It was amazing!  I had never seen anything like this.  Frothed milk is not quite as fattening I promise, but every bit as exciting to see. 

Yield: 3Author: Marie Rayner

Hot Chocolate & Cinnamon Toast

prep time: 5 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 20 mins

Proper hot chocolate and cinnamon toast.  Its well worth the time to make something like this to enjoy together in front of the fire on a cold November day.

ingredients:

For the hot chocolate:

500ml whole milk (2 cups)

1 vanilla pod, split length ways and seeds scraped out

75g plain chocolate with 70% cocoa solids (2 1/2 ounces), broken apart

1 TBS dark soft brown sugar

For the cinnamon toast:

3 thick slices of a good white loaf

50g softened butter (3 TBS)

2 heaped dessertspoons caster (fine granulated) sugar

1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

instructions:

First start the hot chocolate.  Put the milk along with the vanilla
 pod and the seeds into a saucepan and heat over medium low heat, just
until bubbles appear around the edges of the milk in the pan. Remove
from heat and set aside to infuse the milk with the vanilla flavours for
 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of that time add the chocolate pieces and
the sugar to the pan and return to the heat whisking until they have
melted.  Reduce the heat to low and keep warm while you make the toast.

Heat
 the grill/broiler of your oven to high.  Whisk together the sugar and
cinnamon. Toast the bread until just golden brown on both sides.  Slather
 one side of each piece with softened butter, spreading it right to the
edges.  Sprinkle the buttered sides with the cinnamon sugar and return
the toast to the grill/broiler cooking just until the sugar begins to
melt and bubble.

Strain the hot chocolate into
warm mugs.  (Save the vanilla pod, dry and put into your sugar bin to
flavour your sugar.)  Cut the toast into fingers and serve along side of
 the hot chocolate.

Note - if you have a milk frother, a bit of hot milk frothed is lovely spooned over top of the chocolate.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Mmmm . . .  this was so good.  I confess I feel quite spoilt when I indulge in something like this.  You will too!  Bon Appetit!