Easy Vegan Winter Spice Hot Chocolate Mocha

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Mood: Winter is coming? Wrong! Winter is here. But unlike the Game of Thrones universe, where winter heralds the wrath of the Night King (though one can argue that a rainy London winter day is pretty bleak!), here in the Muggle world, winter brings all things warm, cosy & festive! Tis the season to be jolly indeed! Tis also the season of the best beverage genre invented: The Dessert Drink!  I mean, can you really enjoy a festive winter season without a regular dose of steaming hot decadent delights? Gotta love those heart warming cups of sweet indulgence! Just the other day I was looking out of the window, listening to the steady pitter patter of the London rain & I found myself dreaming of the warm sunshine in Los Angeles & Mumbai that I was blessed with for the last few years! A low rumble of thunder jolted me back to reality & there I was, desperately craving a comforting pick me up! “Hmm, what do I want? A strong cup of coffee? Sounds good! Or wait, maybe some dark chocolate? Always! Unless..a bit of both? Yes, please!” And that’s where the magic happened! Lo & behold, a few minutes later, I ended up with this delicious concoction & what can I say? It’s just what I needed:) This Vegan Winter Spice Hot Chocolate Mocha is not as rich & heavy as it’s traditional hot chocolate counterpart, but it definitely still hits that sweet spot, with a strong coffee kick & that fabulous winter spice aroma:) Part Dessert. Part Drink. 100% Heart Warming Deliciousness:) Happy Holidays!

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PS: In the festive spirit of gratitude & celebration, I’d like to give a special shoutout to my dear friend & former LSE classmate, Krupa Asher! Blessed to have good friends like her, who opened her home up to me while I got settled into London life & looked for a new place:) Yes, I’ve been using your kitchen as my cooking playground;) Yes, that’s your mug, book & chopping board;) You the best. Kthnxbye.

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Time: 5 Mins
Serving Size: 1 Large/Oversized Mug (as pictured)
Category: Drink; Beverage
Author: Animagus Eats

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Ingredients:
• 1 cup Unsweetened Full Fat Coconut Milk*
• 5 pieces/approx. 25g of Vegan Dark Chocolate (I used Dr. Oetker’s 72% Dark Chocolate)
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp Unrefined Brown Sugar
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg Powder
• 1/8 tsp Clove Powder*
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
• 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
• 1 1/2 cup of Strong Freshly Brewed Coffee (I made mine in a French Press)*
• Garnish: Vegan Dark Chocolate Shavings

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Method:
1. First, let’s start with the coffee:) Brew yourself a hot cup of strong coffee & set it aside. Remember, if you want a good mocha kick in this drink, then the cuppa joe needs to be nice & strong!

2. Next, add the first 9 ingredients (everything except the coffee & the chocolate shavings) to a shallow pan & heat the mixture on the stove, with the flame on low. Combine well & make sure the chocolate melts completely, until you have a rich hot cocoa mixture.

3. Next, add the winter spiced hot chocolate to a blender & blend on the ‘high’ mode. The hot chocolate should be nice & frothy:) You can also use a powerful frother; that should work too!

4. Time to assemble this bad boy! Pour the coffee into a large/oversized mug, until the mug is 1/2 – 2/3 full & then top that with the frothy hot chocolate mixture:)

5. Finally, garnish (be generous!) with dark chocolate shavings. And voila! Your Vegan Winter Spice Hot Chocolate Mocha is ready to be served:) Enjoy!

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Notes:
*I recommend using full fat coconut milk so that the Hot Chocolate Mocha is thick & creamy:) However, feel free to experiment with other plant based milk:)
*Clove, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger..I used all the winter spices in the pantry! But if you don’t have clove powder on hand, then feel free to skip it & top up on some ginger powder instead:)
*I make my coffee with the humble French Press & it turns out great! But if you have one of those trendy espresso machines (lucky you!), then adjust the quantity of the coffee accordingly:) I think some strong instant coffee powder should work well too:)

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Inspiration: Inspired/adapted from the Vegan Mocha Recipe by Running on Real Food:)