Chai Hot Chocolate

This Chai Hot Chocolate combines the warm spices of chai tea with the sweet richness of hot chocolate. This could very well become my new favorite winter drink this year!

I'm Ashley and I'm a chai tea latte addict. I tend to make a b-line from my bed to the kitchen every morning to get my cup filled. I make these using equal parts chai concentrate and milk either heated up or served over ice. Seriously, I should buy stock in this stuff. I've never been a huge coffee drinker, so this stuff gives me the little pick-me-up I need and I love the flavor. 

With the cold weather rolling in here, we are still in the "let's go build a snowman everyday" phase of enjoying the winter weather. While this tends to wear off after about month 3 or 4, Minnesota weather often doesn't get that memo. Regardless, my girls have equated coming in from playing outside with having a cup of hot chocolate to warm up. I have no idea where they get their sweet tooth from (wink, wink). 

What is Chai?

The popular phrase chai tea often refers to a black tea steeped with spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. The more official name is actually masala chai, and translates to "mixed spice tea".

Chai Hot Chocolate Recipe

My goal for this Chai Hot Chocolate was to find the perfect balance of both flavors. I didn't want either the chai or chocolate to overwhelm the other.

Start this recipe by adding chai concentrate and milk to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add in two tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips. The semisweet chocolate provides the perfect amount of sweetness to the drink. Whisk the chocolate chips and a good dash of cinnamon until they melt completely. You want to be sure that your mixture doesn't boil as this could cause the milk to curdle. 

Pour the Chai Hot Chocolate into a mug and top with whipped cream and another sprinkle of cinnamon. I think I'm going to nickname this drink "hug in a mug". It's sure to warm you up on these cold days!