This super cozy Cointreau orange hot chocolate promise to warm up the chilling nights that are coming!
I absolutely love autumn. And winter, even more, but living in Lisbon gives me the weakest winters ever. I guess I cannot complain because I came from Venezuela — a completely tropical country without seasons.
Right now we are starting November and we are at 25ºC (77 F). So my cute and cozy clothes will have to wait a little bit more.
But as the impatient person that I am, I already started preparing all my favorite hot beverages while I pray for a rainy day — crazy right?
To inaugurate the season, I decided to prepare a Cointreau orange hot chocolate that has it all to become this season’s beverage hit.
Oranges and chocolate work so well. The soft acidity in the oranges will balance the sweetness of a good piece of chocolate. And to spice things up, a little bit of Cointreau — you can use any kind of orange liquor that you prefer— will warm every fiber of your cold body.
So grab a big mug of this chocolate, a blanket, your cat and a good book and we have the perfect picture of how I am planning to spend the coldest days.
Another thing that I love is to make my food pretty — well, I have a food blog, I shouldn’t be explaining these things. Like me, you can garnish this orange hot chocolate with whipped cream and a zest of orange and dark chocolate to have the most lovely hot chocolate on earth. You probably think I am exaggerating, but look at these pictures and tell me if I’m wrong.
And the best thing… the whipped cream isn’t exactly only for decoration. It is also delicious.
My biggest secret for the best hot chocolate ever is to use high-quality chocolate. I don’t believe in labeled “drinking chocolate”. I only use chocolate that I would eat by itself. Also, I like choosing something between 60% and 80% cocoa. This way you guarantee enough chocolate flavor and not a watery/milky beverage.
The best part of this recipe is that you won’t need cornstarch to thicken your hot chocolate. If you choose a high-quality chocolate and you keep the right proportions, the chocolate itself will give the perfect texture.
So I will be drinking tons of hot chocolate while I wait impatiently for the colder days to come. Tell me in the comments how this season feels like in your country. I love to hear from you guys 🙂
I’ll see you in the next recipe.
- 100 gr bar chocolate at least 60% cocoa
- 1 orange
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp Cointreau
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Whipped cream optional
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Heat the milk over low heat.
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Add the cinnamon stick and some orange zest and let it simmer for a couple minutes. It is important that you keep stirring because milk burns super fast.
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Remove the cinnamon stick and add the chocolate cut into tiny pieces that will melt easily. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the juice of half of an orange.
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Add the Cointreau and stir. Increase the temperature to medium heat. Don’t stop stirring. Wait until the chocolate starts to bubble slowly and remove immediately from the stove.
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Serve and top with whipped cream and a zest of orange and chocolate (completely optional).
Bonus track: If you still feel like pumpkin everything, try this life-changing pumpkin coffee.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.
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