The idea for this came after midnight on a very cold November evening. In my current home, I sleep on a sofa bed in a bay beneath a set of single-glazed louvre windows – you know, the kind with the slats that overlap but don’t quite meet. Which means when the temperature drops, my goodness I know about it. I’m not complaining, though, as I love my small, beautiful, idiosyncratic home; it just means that one of the last things I do of an evening is curl into bed with the hottest drink imaginable and burrow under my duvet. And so, with no milk in the house of any kind, but half a block of coconut cream in the cupboard, this was born. I made a big batch, seeing the weather was only going to get colder, it’s good to be prepared for this sort of thing.
Makes around 8-10 portions: at 9p each
100g dark chocolate
, 35p (Sainsburys Basics)
100g coconut cream
, 45p (Sainsburys, 200g/90p)
First take the smallest saucepan you have, and fill with barely two inches of water. Pop a mixing bowl over the top, and bring it to the boil.
Break up your chocolate and add to the bowl, and reduce the heat to medium. Stir as the chocolate melts. If it starts to split (usually because water has touched the bottom of the bowl and scorched your poor choccy), simply add a splash of water and mix vigorously to bring it back together.
When the chocolate has all melted, add your coconut cream, and around 150ml water. 100g of coconut cream is around half a standard carton, but if you like your chcolate sweet and creamy, add the lot. Give it a good stir to combine.
And then, portion into an ice cube tray for anytime-ready hot chocolate. To use, simply pop one out and melt on a low-medium heat for a minute in the microwave. Add a splash of boiling water and stir well to loosen to a thick paste, repeat, and then top your mug up. For big mugs you may want to use two cubes, and if you really fancy a treat, top up with warm milk of your choice, but then it’s a 3-ingredient hot chocolate. But I’ll forgive you.
I’m on Twitter and Instagram @MxJackMonroe, and there’s a couple of cookbooks kicking around too (those that can afford to buy a book, means I have a little income, which means I can keep this blog free for those that can’t afford to buy a book – and that’s kind of what I’m about…) http://www.hive.co.uk/book/a-girl-called-jack-100-delicious-budget-recipes/18105011/