I love hot chocolate any time of year, if I’m being completely honest. I drink it ALL the time. I usually use almond milk because it’s a bit better for my body, so feel free to use rice milk, almond milk or light coconut milk. Whatever floats your boat! I love this version because it has a few spices: cinnamon, star anise and cayenne. It deepens the flavor of the chocolate and the sweetened condensed milk adds a nice thickness. Of course, if you’re trying to keep it dairy-free, you could simply add a few tablespoons of brown sugar.

I love shaving some chocolate over the whipped cream. ALSO, if you want, you can always make whipped coconut cream by adding a can of full-fat coconut to the fridge overnight and whipping it with a whisk until fluffy. It’s one of my favorite forms of whipped cream.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Enjoy spiced hot chocolate with a few extra spices for added flavor: cinnamon, star anise and cayenne.(Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups whole milk or almond milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• Pinch of ground cayenne 
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, melted in a double-boiler

Directions

1. To a small saucepan, add the milk, cinnamon stick, star anise, pinch of salt and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until combined. Bring the milk mixture to a very warm temperature. Immediately turn the heat off and cover. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Remove the star anise and cinnamon stick from the milk mixture and pour in the chocolate. Turn the flame to medium-low and whisk in the melted chocolate until combined. 
3. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

Yield: Serves 4

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.