Happy Festivus, ya’ll! Every year, I try to come up with a new Christmas drink. For no reason, just because at Christmas time I actually take the time and effort and find an occasion to drink something more than La Croix and diet root beer. And this year, as I grasp at any straw to mix up my routine, I’ve done the season justice with this Chai Hot Chocolate. With, homemade (yes I did that) cardamom-dusted marshmallows. Yes!
How did I get here? Let’ me take you on my mental gymnastics train.
I saw that Deb made this seemingly easy, deliciously fluffy marshmallows. I wanted to make some, and had the idea to toss them in some cardamom powder after Lettuce, Yam and I had a very honest text about the wonder that is cardamom and how it’s just perfect for this time of the year when everything should be cozy (do you text these types of things with your friends? #ThisisAlmost40). My mind then went to where I would use said marshmallows and I got to hot chocolate. And since chai also incorporates cardamom, everything would tie nicely together. As evidenced by my chocolate chai truffles from yesteryear.
I worried since I made Peruvian hot chocolate last Christmas. However, they are different enough that this was still worth sharing. Plus, one can never have too many recipes for hot chocolate, and I stand by every one that I have on the site.
I set to work making the marshmallows, which was not hard. The recipe is spelled out perfectly by Deb in the link above, so follow that and she’ll set you straight. The final product came out great despite the fact that I forgot to add the egg white at the end. Whoops. Nevertheless, a dusting of powdered sugar and cardamom powder at the end made these come out exactly as I had dreamed they would. So, win one for the scatterbrained baker.
For the hot chocolate, I combined the base of my original chocolate caliente with Mom’s chai to get exactly what I had hoped. A pretty perfect beverage.
Want to make it boozy? Gah, I say add spiced rum to everything.
How’s that for a cup ‘o’ cheer?!
Chai Hot Chocolate
Chai Hot Chocolate is a creamy, fragrant way to mix up traditional hot chocolate. Topped with homemade cardamom marshmallows, it's perfect for a cozy day!
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 6 crushed cardamom pods
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 3 thumb-size pieces of fresh ginger root (about 1 1/2 TB), sliced
- 4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped
Directions
- Step 1 In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the milk and cornstarch and stir to get out any lumps. Add the cloves, cardamom, pepper and ginger and let come to a scald (just below boiling), stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep for 5 minutes.
- Step 2 Return to the heat to bring back to an almost-boiling temperature. Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is all melted. Return to the stove and simmer until desired thickness.
- Step 3 Strain the chocolate into two mugs (to remove the spices) and serve with fresh whipped cream or homemade cardamom-dusted marshmallows.
