I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but here in Berlin it’s been freezing cold these last couple of days. I find myself walking and cycling faster than usual in an attempt to warm up quickly. The down side to this is that when I do get to where I’m going, the sweat is running down my back and I find myself shivering in damp clothes. What helps in situations like these is wrapping ones hands around a hot cup of coffee or tea (whichever I can lay my hands on the quickest) in an attempt to regain some warmth in ones body.

Of course, hot chocolate will also do the trick. So here’s my recipe for the easiest hot chocolate ever.

Get yourself a cup of milk. Any milk. I chose vanilla flavoured soy milk. Then heat it up in the microwave (or use a saucepan) until it’s really hot but not boiling. Whilst you wait, get out the chocolate. Technically, you could use any chocolate but there are two things to consider:

– Make sure it’s good quality chocolate. This doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. You’re looking for a chocolate that doesn’t have a very long list of ingredients. Something that is rather on the purer side.

– Make sure that it’s meltable (is that even a word?). If your chocolate is filled to the brim with add-ons, you might find your hot chocolate less chocolaty and more lumpy with bits of nuts or candy.

Chop up the chocolate, add it to your hot milk and stir. Watch the transformation, it’s beautiful.