Pumpkin spice meets hot chocolate: A cozy winter delight
The season for warming drinks is in full swing. Have you tried winter tea and spiced coffee yet? It's time for hot chocolate, which makes leaving the house on a chilly December morning much easier. It's also perfect after a walk. One ingredient works wonders!
During this time of year, we especially appreciate recipes for warming drinks. We often reach for juices, spices, and honey to enhance our coffee or tea. We suggest adding hot chocolate to this list. This drink provides plenty of vitamins and minerals, and when enriched with a vegetable ingredient, it will warm us even more.
A seasonal vegetable as the star
What vegetable addition are we talking about? Pumpkin puree, which is familiar to us from pumpkin spice lattes. It pairs perfectly with the taste of milk, blending wonderfully in hot chocolate. The spiced pumpkin puree not only imparts a spicy flavor to the drink but also boosts immunity.
Boosts immunity
This time of year, it's worth incorporating pumpkin into your diet as frequently as possible. This affordable, seasonal vegetable positively impacts immunity. It contains beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and minerals like iron and magnesium. Including it in our meals strengthens the body, helping to prevent seasonal infections and colds. When you add spices and honey to the pumpkin puree, its nutritional value increases even more.
For a better mood
It's also important to note that hot chocolate is a healthy drink. Unfortunately, we are increasingly using cocoa only for making cakes or desserts, consuming it much less frequently and replacing it with other, often less nutritious drinks. Meanwhile, cocoa contains substances like theobromine and caffeine, which stimulate the nervous system and improve mood. That's invaluable on cold days.
Can't remember the last time you drank hot chocolate? This recipe is a great excuse to make it. Hot chocolate with pumpkin puree wonderfully warms you up and boosts your mood.
Hot chocolate with pumpkin puree
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Hokkaido pumpkin
- About 2 cups of milk
- About 1 cup of milk for froth, optional
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa
- Honey to taste
- Turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom to taste
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- A pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Peel the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces. Add coconut oil and season with spices. Mix and heat over low heat until the pumpkin becomes soft.
- Add honey to the prepared pumpkin and blend the mixture.
- Mix milk with cocoa and heat. If you want to make hot chocolate with froth, heat about 1 cup of milk and froth with a frother.
- Pour pumpkin puree into glasses or cups, add hot chocolate, and you can top it with milk froth.
