Handmade Hot Chocolate Mix - A Perfect Christmas Gift Idea

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix - A Perfect Christmas Gift Idea

Handmade gifts are all the rage this year with the revival of all things crafty, and here is an awesomely simple and brilliant one for you. Every year, supermarkets and gift shops are filled with cheap mugs containing sachets of hot chocolate and a handful of marshmallows, crying out to be purchased for teachers, colleagues and acquaintances. With this recipe you can step it up several gears by creating the yummiest hot chocolate you have ever tasted, and presenting it in a cute personalised format for the lucky recipient. Plus - you can make sure that have enough left over for the mandatory quality control - an extra gift for you!

Finely Ground Dark Chocolate - 85% Cocoa Solids

The cocoa powder and 75% cocoa chocolate add a deep flavour to the hot chocolate, whilst the white chocolate adds a creaminess and hint of vanilla, complimented by the maltiness of the Horlicks. The cornflour prevents the mixture from clumping together.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Horlicks

4 tablespoons cornflour

8 tablespoons icing sugar

8 tablespoons quality cocoa powder (I use Green and Blacks)

100 grams white chocolate, finely grated

200 grams dark chocolate (75% or higher cocoa solids) finely grated

5 grams salt

Method

Sift the Horlicks, cornflour, icing sugar, and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the salt and mix well. Grate the white and dark chocolate into the bowl. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

To make, add 4 heaped spoonfuls of the mixture to 1 mug of hot milk and stir well. Add marshmallows, cream, sprinkles or liqueur as desired!

Transfer the mixture to individual jars, add a tag with instructions on how to make, and personalise accordingly. I bought these cute little spice jars from Tesco for £1 each, and they were perfect, the above quantities filled 4 jars exactly with no surplus.

Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked are looking for all things food gift-y this month for Tea Time Treats, so I am linking up with their challenge.

Aztec Cookies - Random Recipes Big 3-0

Aztec Cookies

I actually made these cookies right at the beginning of the month as soon as Dom announced the Random Recipes challenge, but it's taken me this long to get my act together and write them up. (See previous posts re: loss of mojo and subsequently getting it back) The challenge this month was to celebrate the 30th month of Random Recipes by selecting the 30th recipe from the 30th book on the shelf. 

My 30th book was The Great British Bake Off - How to Turn Everyday Bakes into Showstoppers. The 30th recipe was Aztec Cookies. I tend to have a fail-safe go-to cookie recipe, so this recipe was one that had so far passed me by, and probably would have continued to do so. On closer inspection however, I realised that these cookies contained all the things that are good in the world... chocolate, coffee, white chocolate and glitter! Win!

I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe, changing the flour to wholemeal as it's healthier, and using instant coffee and vanilla bean paste rather than extract as that's what I had to hand. These cookies are soft rather than chewy, and the wholemeal flour gave a really nice texture. I do prefer my cookies of the chewy variety, but I can't fault the flavour combination in these, and I'm a sucker for a sparkly baked treat! 

Ingredients

140 grams dark chocolate

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules 

65 grams salted butter

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

130 grams golden caster sugar

185 grams wholegrain plain flour

100 grams white chocolate

edible gold dust or glitter to finish

Method

Melt the dark chocolate and salted butter together over a bain-marie. Add the instant coffee and stir until completely dissolved. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir thoroughly. 

Sift in the flour, and fold into the mixture until fully combined. Roughly chop the white chocolate, and add to the mixture. 

Grease a baking tray, and heat the oven to 160 degrees.  Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the tray, leaving space for the cookies to spread. You should be able to fit roughly 6 cookies at a time on the sheet. 

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until they are just firm to touch, and the surface is cracked in appearance. Remove the tray, and using a pallet knife, slide the cookies onto a cooling rack. Repeat until you have used all of the mixture. 

Finally, sprinkle a little of the glitter over the still warm cookies for that extra special sparkle. 

Random Recipes is hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen

Rocky Road Ice Cream and Finding My Mojo

It's fair to say that my blogging mojo has been somewhat depleted this month. I can't put my finger on why, maybe it's the heat, but then I've still been baking and cooking up a storm. Whatever the reason, I had a piece of good news this week that has gone some way to restoring my self-confidence and therefore I think my mojo may be back. I have a back log of recipes ready to be uploaded, all of which were planned to be linked up to challenges before the end of this month, so hold onto you hats because they are going to be coming thick and fast over the next few days! 

Oh, and what was the good news I hear you ask... my recipe for Teriyaki Beef Burgers only went and blooming won the Kikkoman recipe challenge! I cannot tell you how surprised and overwhelmed I am to have won, especially as the competition was seriously stiff (check out the two runner up entries) but it seems the judges liked burgers! (well who doesn't really...) 

So back to the main content of this post. This month's We Should Cocoa challenge, hosted by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog, is Ice Cream. There are two things you should know about my entry. Firstly, after making Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary's Mint Choc Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, I am a convert to condensed milk based no-churn ice cream, and will never look back. 

Rocky Road Ice Cream frozen in a Silicone Muffin Pan for easy portions

Secondly, I had a flash of inspiration a while back regarding the freezing of ice cream, and used a silicone muffin pan to freeze this ice cream into individual straight-from-the-freezer portions - the result - no mess, no waiting for ice cream to thaw before the scoop will work, you just pop a portion out of the silicone and away you go! (Plus it also helps little piglets like me with their portion control, no more eating half a tub by accident!) 

When I made the Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream I also experimented with using a silicone bundt tin. This also works really well, you can turn out the frozen ice cream onto a serving plate as a centrepiece dessert for a dinner party, much more elegant than the tub don't you think, and then serve in easy slices! 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream frozen in a Silicone Bundt Tin

Here is my recipe for no-churn Rocky Road Ice Cream, the below makes approx 1/2 litre Ice Cream...

Ingredients

200 grams condensed milk
300 ml double cream
100 grams dark chocolate
100 grams chocolate chips
50 grams mini marshmallows
50 grams chopped nuts
50 grams raisins

Method

Melt the dark chocolate, 30 seconds in the microwave should do it. You don't need to worry about tempering the chocolate, as it doesn't need to re-set, however be careful not to let it burn. 

Whisk together the condensed milk and double cream to soft peaks. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until fully combined. Add the chocolate chips, marshmallows, nuts and raisins, and stir through. 

Pour the mixture into whatever container you have decided to use, and freeze for at least 4 hours. 

Individual Portion of No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream

This is my entry for July's We Should Cocoa

June's We Should Cocoa Round Up: Mint

Wow-o-wow! My goodness did everyone rise to the mint challenge this month! This round up is going to be a veritable feast of cakes, brownies, ice creams, cookies, meringues and all manner of tasty bakes! I don't think we've quite reached the record number of entries (I'm pretty sure the coffee challenge last year had over 50), however we are coming in with a respectable 32!

One of the things that struck a chord with me the most as I was reading and re-reading these posts was how many started with words along the lines of 'I don't normally like chocolate and mint, but...' I'm so impressed with everyone that baked outside of their comfort zone with this challenge, and the result is a really great and varied range of minty chocolate recipes to suit all tastes. There are also some really amazing flavour combinations in here - look out for the minted raspberries, and the mint, chilli and lime combo in particular! 

Anyways, let this seriously epic round up commence, and get ready for some seriously minty-fresh chocolate creations!

Almost Guiltless Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

Janet from The Taste Space was straight off the mark with her Almost Guiltless Chocolate Mint Ice Cream. This glorious looking creation is vegan, and as the title suggests, almost guiltless! Born of an ice cream craving, and a happy coincidence from freezing a mousse, we have to thank Janet for a recipe that can be an ice cream, a mousse, or a tart depending on your mood.

Triple Mint Chocolate Cake

The second entry came from the lovely Ness at JibberJabberUK, in the form of this decadent Triple Mint Chocolate Cake. Ness has recreated all the flavour of mint choc-chip ice cream, but in comforting cake form, and with no less than three mint ingredients!

Grasshopper Bars

How amazing do these Grasshopper Bars from Janine at Cake of the Week look!? Adapted from a millionaires shortbread recipe, these yummy looking bars are topped with chocolate ganache and a caramel flavoured with Creme de Menthe!

Chocolate Eton Mess with Hazelnut Meringue and Minted Raspberries

I love everything about this next entry from Under The Blue Gum Tree, Chocolate Eton Mess with Hazelnut Meringue and Minted Raspberries. Such a great combination of flavours and textures, and a really unique spin on the mint theme for this month.

Mint Chocolate Cookie Sandwich

Rebecca from BakeNQuilt created these tasty Mint Chocolate Cookie Sandwich with a rich decadent crunchy cookie, filled with a peppermint buttercream, I'll bet you could change these up with any flavour filling too.

Mint Aero Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Jenny of What Jenny Baked has just started blogging, in fact these Mint Aero Chocolate Chip Cupcakes were her first ever blog post, and she has entered them into We Should Cocoa! Join me in saying a big hello to Jenny, and head over to check out her new blog!

Garden Mint Truffles

A delicious treat up next in the form of these Garden Mint Truffles from Jill at Lapin d'Or and More, these 'skinny' truffles are made from a mint infused syrup used to make the chocolate ganache. Yum!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Angela from My Golden Pear is up next with these pretty Chocolate Mint Brownies, which look so gooey and rich, and then have that beautiful peppermint cream layer too.

Andy Murray Mint Slice

As Wimbledon kicks off this week, here is the aptly named Andy Murray Mint Slice, from Becky at Mint Custard. Regardless of how successful it's namesake is, I'm certain that this treat is a winner!

Peppermint Creams

I haven't made a batch of Peppermint Creams since I was studying Home Ec at school, but this lovely batch made by Angela from Garden, Tea, Cakes and Me and her niece for Father's Day has made me rethink. I love that this variation uses condensed milk rather than cream or egg whites too, as I imagine it is less perishable (not that they would last long enough to test that in our house). 

Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Elizabeth is next, over from the Law Student's Cookbook, with these tasty Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes. A great recipe, and nice to see the chocolate-mint theme being brought into some breakfast bakes. 

Treat Me Chocolate Mint Bars

Lucy, of The KitchenMaid, entered these Oreo-stuffed, No-Bake, Chocolate Ganache-smothered Chocolate Mint Bars. Yes you heard me, oreos... no bake... ganache... droooooool! 

Chocolate Marble Cake

When Suelle at Mainly Baking entered this Chocolate Marble Cake, for a split second I was gutted, as I was planning something marbly myself. But when I read her fabulous creation, which combines Mint, Lime and Chilli together in this pretty marbled Bundt cake, I knew that she had done a far better job than I ever could! I really really want a slice of this cake!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Next up is a batch of perfectly formed Chocolate Mint Cookies from The After School Cake Tin. I love the shimmery effect of the demerara sugar sprinkled on top before baking too. 

Chocolate and Garden Mint Loaf Cake

How rich and yummy does this Chocolate and Garden Mint Loaf Cake from Lancashire Food look? Made using fresh Garden Mint turned into an infused tea within the cake, and a syrup drizzled over the top, it sounds like a great way to use a herb growing in the back garden. 

Chocolates with a Peppermint Filling

Johanna writes her Green Gourmet Giraffe blog from Melbourne in Australia, and entered these handmade Chocolates with a Peppermint Filling. They look really great, I can never manage to avoid the bloom, and Johanna also lists some great alternative flavours for fillings.

Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Rachel Cotterill created this perfect combination of flavours in her Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes. Chocolate, Coffee and Mint really are flavours that work well together, and these cupcakes get their moisture from pure coffee rather than eggs and butter. 

Chocadoodledoo Cake

Our We Should Cocoa founder Choclette is next, with her Chocadoodledoo Cake, named after her own cocktail recipe of the same name. This cake contains a chocolate genoese sponge, fresh strawberries and cream, and a fresh mint syrup, all layered up in this gorgeous homage to summer. 

Mint Chocolate Brownies

Craig from The Usual Saucepans (what a great blog name) adapted a cheesecake-topped brownie by flavouring the cheesecake element with mint to create this variation of a Mint Chocolate Brownie. Such a great idea, and it sounds like his tasters were very complimentary about the combination. 

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Another vegan bake here from Caroline of Caroline Makes. These Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes were made from a Melissa Morgan book, and Caroline bravely made a batch to take to a vegan meeting where the author herself would be sampling! Needless to say they were very well received! 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ness at Jibber Jabber took inspiration from supermarket bakery cookies, and proved that we can always do it better ourselves with these lovely Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Vegan Mint Chocolate Mousse

Another great vegan entry here, as Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes perfected this unctuous-looking Vegan Mint Chocolate Mousse, using avocado and maple syrup in place of cream or eggs. Doesn't it just make you want to pick up a spoon and dive in?

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Kitchen cooked up a treat with this decadent and creamy Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream... my absolute two favourite ice cream flavours rolled into one, I actually jumped at the chance and made a batch myself at the weekend, and can vouch first hand for how amazing it is!

Mint Chocolate Macarons

I finally got my act together and decided on an idea for the theme, and created these brightly coloured Mint Chocolate Macarons, the delicate peppermint meringue perfectly complimented the rich dark mint chocolate ganache filling.

Vegan Chocolate Mint Cake

Last month's We Should Cocoa host Shaheen from Allotment to Kitchen submitted a Vegan Chocolate Mint Cake, that also goes by the name of Father Ted Cakes. Originally made to celebrate St Patrick's Day, Shaheen has re-created these tasty cakes using a mint syrup, but had provided an alternative version too using After Eight mints.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Fresh Mint

There are little flecks of green shining through these pretty Chocolate Chip Cookies from That Nutty Tart, which have fresh Strong Mint baked into the cookie dough. They sound divine, and apparently didn't last long enough to have their own studio photo shoot...

Mint Brownie Pie

A grown-up variation of the chocolate brownie now, as Hannah at the Corner Cottage Bakery encased hers in pastry, and added cocoa nibs to create this classy Mint Brownie Pie. Less grown-up is the giant squid pillow driving her car... you'll have to look for yourselves!

Chocolate Mint Cake

A sumptuous chocolate cake next from Eira over at Cookbooks Galore, this Chocolate Mint Cake is flavoured with garden mint extract, and filled with a mint flavoured cream cheese frosting. It looks heavenly don't you think?

Pimms, Blackberry and Elderflower Jelly

I was always expecting something a little different from the lovely Dom of Belleau Kitchen, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't prepared for a large jelly in the shape of the Queen's head... Dom infused his jelly mixture with fresh mint leaves, and decorated with white chocolate it ticks all the right boxes. I'm very interested in the new Blackberry and Elderflower Pimms too.

Crème de Menthe & Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits

Double chocolatey goodness next in the shape of these Crème de Menthe & Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits from Mel at Sharky Oven Glove. These yummy chocolate biscuits are sandwiched around a layer of crème de menthe flavoured white chocolate filling.

Chocolate Peppermint Squares

As a devoted baker, I am seriously concerned about how excited I get over a recipe title that contains the words 'No-Bake'! I think its the promise of a more immediate gratification. And when said recipe comes with a photo the likes of the one above from Karen at Lavender and Lovage with her Easy No-Bake Chocolate Peppermint Squares, well, I'm sure you can understand my giddiness! I love the use of Kendall Mint Cake in this recipe too.

Chocolate Mint Pattie Brownie

Last, but by no means least, Ros, The More Than Occasional Baker, created these Chocolate Mint Pattie Brownies, with Mint Patties all the way from America baked into the brownie batter. Ros' colleagues were the lucky recipients of these gooey treats... I'm not jealous at all!

And that folks, is all! Thank you so much to each and everyone of you that took the time to link your lovely minty recipes back to We Should Cocoa. It's been a pleasure to host for the month. Check back to Choclette's blog to find out who the July host is, and which special flavour they have chosen. 

Mint Chocolate Macarons

Confession time... When I set this month's We Should Cocoa theme, I was so busy trying to come up with an ingredient that hadn't already been picked, I didn't spare a second to think about what I was actually going to make myself... and I have to admit, I was a little stumped at first! As the days and then initial weeks went on, I had a few ideas, and as luck would have it, each time I had an idea, someone submitted the same bake a few hours later on the linky... I mean - seriously, it happened three times!!! And then last weekend, it finally hit me - a Mint Chocolate Macaron! Of course! 

These little emerald beauties that you see today are actually the second attempt to make a Mint Chocolate Macaron, the first attempt being perfectly edible and tasty, but had a few technical difficulties. Firstly, I used a peppermint essence rather than an extract, and the resulting mint flavour was practically non-existent. Secondly, I used a liquid food colour, and the combined liquid from the essence and the food colour affected the stability of the meringue, meaning that my macarons didn't rise or develop feet. Finally, I coloured the mixture a beautiful pale peppermint colour, which just turned brown and unattractive in the oven. All that being said, they did taste just fine, and I promise none of those issues would arise from this version of the recipe! 

Ingredients (makes approx 20 shells/ 10 macarons)

40 grams ground almonds

65 grams icing sugar

1 egg white

2 teaspoons caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (not essence) 

green food colour gel

100 grams double cream

100 grams good quality dark mint chocolate (I used Green & Black's)

Method

• Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together well in a bowl, and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the caster sugar and egg white, and whisk together until it forms stiff glossy peaks. Once the mixture has stiffened, add the gel food colouring, and whisk until the meringue mixture is evenly coloured. 
• Add the almond mixture, and the peppermint extract, and fold into the meringue base. Do this gently, and with as few turns of the spoon as possible. You are aiming for a consistency similar to shaving foam, if you stir too much the mixture will become runny, and the macarons won't rise properly. 
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, and pipe the macarons onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, leaving plenty of room between each to allow for spreading. 
• Set aside for 60 minutes until the macarons form a shell, and are no longer sticky to touch. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then bake for 15 minutes or until the shells peel easily from the greaseproof paper. 
• Remove the shells from the paper and place on a cooling rack to cool. 
• Meanwhile, make the ganache filling. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it just starts to bubble. Add the chocolate a little at a time and whisk into the cream. Continue until all the chocolate has been added, and the mixture is thick and glossy. Transfer the ganache to a bowl to cool. 
• Once the macaron shells have cooled and the ganache has set, transfer the ganache to a piping bag, and fill half the shells. Sandwich the macarons together, and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

We Should Cocoa is traditionally co-hosted by Choclette of Chocolate Log Blog, and Chele over at Chocolate Teapot.