Tea-infused Hot Cocoa Recipe

I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I love hot chocolate and I love tea. I enjoy the richness of hot chocolate, but sometimes it's a bit too much. I certainly couldn't drink it everyday. I have tried quite a few chocolate flavored teas and while some of them are pretty good, I've discovered a more satisfying solution. I make hot cocoa with equal parts tea and milk.

On the surface this might seem like a weird thing to do, combining cocoa and tea but it's really quite delicious. I learned from chocolate authority Alice Medrich that the fat in dairy products coats your tongue so the flavor of chocolate is sometimes muted in very creamy preparations. She said you can make cocoa with hot water, but I have found that tea provides an amazing addition of flavor. I like a little bit of milk to add some texture. The result is a beverage that is richer and more viscous than tea and milk, but not quite as cloying as hot cocoa can be. In the Winter, I could drink it just about everyday!

The types of tea that work with chocolate vary. I've tried it with herbal, green and flavored black tea. I like it with Earl Grey, herbal peppermint tea, but my hands down favorite is with jasmine tea. I've had chocolate confections that were flavored with citrus, peppermint and jasmine so I was fairly certain each of those flavors would work nicely. But it's certainly worth more experimentation. There could be other types of tea that are wonderful with cocoa too maybe chai or vanilla tea? Let me know what types you try!

Note: The amount of cocoa will vary based on the brand you use. You want to use enough cocoa to make a cup, but replace part of the milk or water with tea. You could also use a sweetened cocoa if that's what you have on hand just adjust the sugar to your liking.

Tea-infused Hot Cocoa
Makes 1 serving

1 teaspoon tea or a tea bag
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I am currently using Hershey's)
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)

Make a cup of strong tea as directed, use a little less than the usual amount of water, no more than 6 ounces. In a small saucepan whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and a few tablespoons of brewed tea, to make a smooth paste with no lumps. Whisk in the milk and about 1/2 cup of tea. Heat gently until hot, but do not boil, serve.

Enjoy!

Tea-infused Hot Cocoa Recipe

I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I love hot chocolate and I love tea. I enjoy the richness of hot chocolate, but sometimes it's a bit too much. I certainly couldn't drink it everyday. I have tried quite a few chocolate flavored teas and while some of them are pretty good, I've discovered a more satisfying solution. I make hot cocoa with equal parts tea and milk.

On the surface this might seem like a weird thing to do, combining cocoa and tea but it's really quite delicious. I learned from chocolate authority Alice Medrich that the fat in dairy products coats your tongue so the flavor of chocolate is sometimes muted in very creamy preparations. She said you can make cocoa with hot water, but I have found that tea provides an amazing addition of flavor. I like a little bit of milk to add some texture. The result is a beverage that is richer and more viscous than tea and milk, but not quite as cloying as hot cocoa can be. In the Winter, I could drink it just about everyday!

The types of tea that work with chocolate vary. I've tried it with herbal, green and flavored black tea. I like it with Earl Grey, herbal peppermint tea, but my hands down favorite is with jasmine tea. I've had chocolate confections that were flavored with citrus, peppermint and jasmine so I was fairly certain each of those flavors would work nicely. But it's certainly worth more experimentation. There could be other types of tea that are wonderful with cocoa too maybe chai or vanilla tea? Let me know what types you try!

Note: The amount of cocoa will vary based on the brand you use. You want to use enough cocoa to make a cup, but replace part of the milk or water with tea. You could also use a sweetened cocoa if that's what you have on hand just adjust the sugar to your liking.

Tea-infused Hot Cocoa
Makes 1 serving

1 teaspoon tea or a tea bag
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I am currently using Hershey's)
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)

Make a cup of strong tea as directed, use a little less than the usual amount of water, no more than 6 ounces. In a small saucepan whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and a few tablespoons of brewed tea, to make a smooth paste with no lumps. Whisk in the milk and about 1/2 cup of tea. Heat gently until hot, but do not boil, serve.

Enjoy!

Tea-infused Hot Cocoa Recipe

I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I love hot chocolate and I love tea. I enjoy the richness of hot chocolate, but sometimes it's a bit too much. I certainly couldn't drink it everyday. I have tried quite a few chocolate flavored teas and while some of them are pretty good, I've discovered a more satisfying solution. I make hot cocoa with equal parts tea and milk.

On the surface this might seem like a weird thing to do, combining cocoa and tea but it's really quite delicious. I learned from chocolate authority Alice Medrich that the fat in dairy products coats your tongue so the flavor of chocolate is sometimes muted in very creamy preparations. She said you can make cocoa with hot water, but I have found that tea provides an amazing addition of flavor. I like a little bit of milk to add some texture. The result is a beverage that is richer and more viscous than tea and milk, but not quite as cloying as hot cocoa can be. In the Winter, I could drink it just about everyday!

The types of tea that work with chocolate vary. I've tried it with herbal, green and flavored black tea. I like it with Earl Grey, herbal peppermint tea, but my hands down favorite is with jasmine tea. I've had chocolate confections that were flavored with citrus, peppermint and jasmine so I was fairly certain each of those flavors would work nicely. But it's certainly worth more experimentation. There could be other types of tea that are wonderful with cocoa too maybe chai or vanilla tea? Let me know what types you try!

Note: The amount of cocoa will vary based on the brand you use. You want to use enough cocoa to make a cup, but replace part of the milk or water with tea. You could also use a sweetened cocoa if that's what you have on hand just adjust the sugar to your liking.

Tea-infused Hot Cocoa
Makes 1 serving

1 teaspoon tea or a tea bag
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I am currently using Hershey's)
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)

Make a cup of strong tea as directed, use a little less than the usual amount of water, no more than 6 ounces. In a small saucepan whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and a few tablespoons of brewed tea, to make a smooth paste with no lumps. Whisk in the milk and about 1/2 cup of tea. Heat gently until hot, but do not boil, serve.

Enjoy!

Constant Comment Muffins

Everyone has heard of the popular Bigelow tea, Constant Comment. To be perfectly honest, bad pun intended, it's not my cup of tea. In fact, if it were the only tea on earth, I simply wouldn't drink tea. My family, however, are all quite enamored with the amber brew and drink it like there's no tomorrow. There's no accounting for palates being passed on, is there?

At any rate, when I was devising muffins for my most recent Family.com post (Morning Muffins) I decided to see if I could come up with a muffin that would taste like the tea my family so adores. These are those muffins.

Constant Comment Muffins
Makes 12

1 cup sour milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple pie spice (allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg)
1 cup instant oats
1 cup finely diced apple

Combine milk, orange juice, sugar, oil, extract, egg and zest. Blend well. Sift wheat flour, oat flour, spice, soda and powder. Add to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in oats and apple. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees F for or until tops spring back when touched.

Some days there's nothing that satisfies better ...