Homemade Hot Chocolate With Orange Zest and Cinnamon

Enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate with a twist.

If you’re looking for a hot chocolate recipe with a twist, save this one to your “must try” list. Set aside 10 minutes of your time and you will have a warm cup of chocolatey heaven before you know it.

What makes this hot chocolate recipe different?

This recipe is inspired by the citrus season that comes every winter. I love oranges, lemons and grapefruit. I also loved the orange shaped chocolates that you could find at the dollar tree or 99 cent store in the candy isle growing up.

Chocolate and orange go together so harmoniously. There’s something about the brightness and sweetness of the orange that helps compliment the rich and bitter dark chocolate.

Key Ingredients

You are going to gather a couple key ingredients before making this hot chocolate. Nothing is fancy or difficult about this recipe, however, there are a couple notable components you’ll need.

The Chocolate

You will want to use a dark chocolate for this recipe. I use the dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s but you can use any dark chocolate you like. Do not use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips.

The Citrus

You can mix it up and use whatever variation of oranges you like. You only need one orange for this recipe because you will only need to zest. You can use a cara cara orange, a sumo orange or a navel orange.

Milk

Here’s the thing, if you are lactose intolerant and can’t do heavy cream or whole milk like my recipe lists, use whatever you can enjoy! I recommend using coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and oat milk in place of the whole milk. Both alternative milks are super creamy and have a wonderful flavor profile to them.

Spices

Growing up in a half Mexican household, my mom would either use Mexican hot chocolate (Aubela’s) or add some cinnamon to the homemade cocoa she’d whip up for us. The subtle, warm spice is just a nice touch to go with your bright, orange zest.

Roughly chopped dark chocolate, navel orange zest, pink salt and cinnamon.

Ingredients

For the hot chocolate (yields 2 small servings):

1 c whole milk or oat milk

1/4 c heavy whipping cream or coconut cream

3 oz chopped dark chocolate

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple syrup or 1 tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp orange zest + more for topping (optional)

Directions for Hot Chocolate

1. In a small sauce pan, add your milk and cream. Set to medium heat and allow to reach a low simmer.

2. Lower your heat and add in your chopped chocolate and whisk until completely dissolved.

3. Mix in your salt, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest. Simmer for 1-2 minutes before turning off the heat.

4. Pour into you favorite mug and top with your homemade whipped cream or a marshmallow. Garnish with some remaining orange zest and dust with cinnamon or grated chocolate if desired.