6 x hot chocolate with a twist

This weather calls for hot chocolate. Preferably with enormous mountains of whipped cream and marshmallows. But even that gets boring after a while. Here are six variations. 

Spice it up

A super-easy way to give your hot chocolate an extra kick. If you’re in the Sinterklaas mood, add some cinnamon or cardamom to your cup, or a pinch of nutmeg. Or heat the hot chocolate with a bag of chai tea. For the daring, just a tiny bit of chili powder or cayenne pepper adds that little bit of extra heat.

Speculaas

Just like hot chocolate, speculaas immediately puts you in a wintry mood. No wonder this combination is a winning one. Stir a spoonful of Speculoos into your drink and crumble some more speculaas over the whipped cream. This version is quite sweet, so a pinch of sea salt wouldn’t be out of place here.

Salt

Salt is always a very good idea. It brings out all the flavors. It’s not for nothing that, for dessert at lunch, we always reach for that Nutella and sea salt sandwich.

Coconut

If you make fresh hot chocolate yourself, try making it with coconut milk for once. Or stir some shredded coconut into the ready-made version.

Affogato

We can’t get enough of the Italian classic in which espresso is poured over a scoop of zabaglione ice cream. It’s also delicious with hot chocolate, or a mix of espresso and hot chocolate.

Rum

If all else fails, it’s time for a splash of rum. By the way, it also pairs very well with all the combinations above.