A Hot Chocolate Gift for Santa and His Helpers
6 people
15 minutes
25 minutes
Ingredients
- 50 g Candied Mixed Peel orange peel
- 6 tbsp Cocoa Powder hot chocolate or dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 300 g Dark Chocolate or milk chocolate, grated
- 50 g Hazelnuts nibbed
- 6 tbsp Mini Marshmallows optional
Method
- To make the chocolate sticks, place about 200g of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water on a low heat. Place a sugar thermometer in the chocolate. As it starts to melt, stir it with a rubber spatula to encourage even melting. Do not let the temperature of the chocolate exceed 55°C to 58°C.
- When all the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat (but keep the saucepan on the heat) and wipe the bottom of the bowl to remove condensation. You want to avoid any chance of getting water in the chocolate or it could seize up into a chunky mess.
- Stir in the remaining 100g of chocolate. It will start cooling and thickening as you add more unmelted chocolate.
- When the temperature of the chocolate has dropped to 28°C or 29°C, place the bowl back over the pot of simmering water on a low heat. Be ready, as it will reform quickly.
- Heat the chocolate back to 31°C to 33°C. Be sure to stir and check carefully so you don’t overheat one part while waiting for another section to heat up. Do not let the chocolate get over 33°C or it will be out of temper and you’ll have to start over. Your chocolate is now ready to be used.
- Form the melted chocolate into six to eight discs on non-stick baking paper and add a wooden skewer. Decorate with hazelnut nibs or candied orange peel. Leave to cool and harden.
- Prepare your gift set with one chocolate stick, 1 tablespoon of mini marshmallows and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
- You’ll need to include the following instructions for Santa: Warm 150ml of milk per mug until just boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Sweeten to your taste. Pour into a warmed mug and top with a tablespoon of whipped cream and the marshmallows. Add the chocolate stick and serve.
