When the winter months arrive, there is nothing I like more than having a delicious hot chocolate to warm me up.
Every year, Costa reveal their winter menu, and they have some absolutely delightful flavours! This year they brought out their classic Black Forest Hot Chocolate, along with White Hot Chocolate and a new addition of Caramel Fudge Hot Chocolate.
I was sad to see they were not doing the Chocolate Orange flavour they did last year, however, their Black Forest is also a firm favourite of mine.
It can be very costly buying one of Costa's drinks every day before work, and sometimes impossible if there is no Costa in the vicinity, therefore I decided to find the ingredients to make my very own!
I noticed on one of my many visits to Costa, that the syrups they use are by a brand called Monin. I looked the brand up online and found a UK website called syrupsandstuff.co.uk
They have every flavour you could possibly need, ranging from mint, tiramisu and white chocolate, through to some alcoholic flavourings for extra jazz in an evening.
I had previously looked up a Black Forest recipe online, and they recommended the Blackberry syrup, as the exact syrup they use in Costa (Blackberry & Cherry) is not available to purchase separately at the moment. I did however, manage to find the blackberry and cherry flavour in a Festive set which I purchased from Costa, available in all stores currently. This however, was only a small bottle, so I save that for garnish rather than flavour.
The
recipe online specified that you use Cocoa Powder instead of hot chocolate
already prepared, as it doesn't take away the flavour of the syrup like the
ready made hot chocolate would.
You
will need:
Cocoa
Powder (1 heaped tsp)
Milk
(A mug 3/4 full)
Monin
Blackberry syrup (1tbsp)
Squirty
cream
Marshmallows
A
drizzle of blackberry & cherry syrup
Method
Begin by pouring your
milk into your mug of choice about 3/4 of the way full, and then pouring the
milk into a pan to heat on the hob. This is the best way to measure the amount
of milk you need for the size of your mug.
I chose to use this gorgeous Christmas mug from Tesco; only £1.50!
I chose to use this gorgeous Christmas mug from Tesco; only £1.50!
Then pour 1tbsp of
the Blackberry Syrup into the mug; add more if you want a stronger flavour.
As the milk heats,
make sure to stir so it does not curdle, and add your heaped tsp of cocoa
powder into the milk once you can see it is warm.
Once the cocoa powder is fully dissolved and well heated, pour the mixture into your mug, giving it a little stir to mix in the syrup with the milk and cocoa.
Once the cocoa powder is fully dissolved and well heated, pour the mixture into your mug, giving it a little stir to mix in the syrup with the milk and cocoa.
Once you have poured the hot cocoa into your mug, squirt some cream around the top of the cocoa and then sprinkle some marshmallows on the top. The final element is adding a little dribble of Blackberry and Cherry syrup over the marshmallows and cream.
I find this tastes almost exactly the same as the one Costa produces, however they do not use marshmallows for this drink and they also use an actually Cherry Sauce rather than another syrup on top.
I really enjoy this drink, it tastes absolutely delicious and I love that I can now make my own Black Forest Hot Chocolate without breaking the bank every day!
I would love to see if any of you have also made your own Jazzy hot chocolates this year! Leave a comment below and I will check them out!
I find this tastes almost exactly the same as the one Costa produces, however they do not use marshmallows for this drink and they also use an actually Cherry Sauce rather than another syrup on top.
I really enjoy this drink, it tastes absolutely delicious and I love that I can now make my own Black Forest Hot Chocolate without breaking the bank every day!
I would love to see if any of you have also made your own Jazzy hot chocolates this year! Leave a comment below and I will check them out!
