I want to invent a Christmas hot chocolate recipe...how does this sound?

[TheProvincialLady]

Ingredients:

Some grated lindt 70% cocoa chocolate (how much?)
A bouquet garni type thing consisting of a stick of cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 allspice berries wrapped up in muslin
A mug of milk

Method:
Heat the milk with the spice bag in it
Add the chocolate

Does this sound ok? Would I need to add sugar? I am stealing using someone's idea of giving a hot chocolate mix as a Christmas present, as part of a home made hamper. I saw 4 bars of lindt chocolate for £2 yesterday, which was a bargain, but if I have to test the recipe too much it won't work out as cheap as I intend!

All opinions welcome

How will you present it as a gift?

I would have nutmeg in with the spices, and ditch the cloves, but that's just my personal preference.

Placed inside a cup as part of the gift?

oooh that could be cool, inside a mug! I'd still put the dry ingreidints in a little plastic bag or something so they don't spill everywhere or go stale.

Although that stops it being a cheap present doesn't it, the mugs will add a lot to the cost.

So are you just giving people enough for one mug?

this might help

Not at all omdb. Asda sell nice star mugs for a quid.

Add those mini marshmallows to the gift too

My local cheapy shop sells really nice mugs for 50p!

You coudl grate the chocolate, wrap the bouquet garni and then cover over the top with film or a jampot cover type thing and then they just take the top off, add hot milk and stir and leave for a few mins.

Grated lindt

That sounds like a fab pressie.

oh that's true FAB, they don't have to be expensive ones do thay!

Actually even John Lewis do those nice coloured mugs for £1.50 don't they?

mmm sounds tasty althogh isd think adding sugar would be a good idea as the choc may not be enough sweetness, sounds like a great idea though! and nutmeg sounds tastier than cloves i have to agree

You know, I wouldn't do the bouquet garni, I would use ground up spices and mix it in with the chocolate. Less faf and easier too.

then you could also bulk out the lindt chocolate with coco powder too.

all the examples on the web are american sites and they all add dry milk powder to their mixes too. I guess this makes them instant!

Although the bouquet garni thing would look very pretty. You could tie that on to the mug handle rather than putting it into the mug.

What a fantastic idea to put it in a mug! It also solves my jam jar shortage problem. I have 2lb jam pot covers so they should fit. I am going to JL with my mum tomorrow so will check out the mugs. It makes it look like a more expensive present then too.

OMDB I think I will add some sugar (demerara?) but I will stick with the bouquet garni because if it was me drinking it then I would hate ground up bits at the bottom. Also it looks more poncestastic IMO

Oh yes and I agree, nutmeg might be nicer than cloves.

Do you think that 1/4 chocolate with a couple of teaspoons of sugar would be about right?

In Asda you can buy sugar cubes. I think it would be better to put those in rather than any loose sugar.

Use Green & Black's hot chocolate instead of the grated chocolate - it's amazing and will have the right balance of sugar, non-meltingness and dissolvability already

And you get to drink the rest of the jar

Why FAB?

As for you BertieBotts, straight to the back of the class! I have just bought 4 bars of lindt and it would be awful, just awful if I had to eat them all.

I am just thinking you might get hygiene issues, depending on who you are giving these too, and after threads on here from people saying they don't want home made gifts. I also think cubes are a bit different and cute.

Ah I see. I agree it would look nice. Luckily the people I am planning to give these to are well used to my penny pinching gift style and if they ever have a problem with it, they are too polite to say which is all I ask for

Really, Fab? People have issues with hygiene when given homemade pressies? Must have missed that. Would never occur yo me. My friend used to make fantastic cherry liquor and I thiught it was great.

Just going on some threads in the past. Not my opinion.

Oh I see Must stop skim reading!