Homemade Hot Chocolate on a stick for Macmillan Coffee Morning

Today is the World's Biggest Coffee Morning which is Macmillan's biggest fundraising event.  In 2012 115,000 people signed up, raising a record £15 million. I'm sure there's one near you so if you're not hosting your own, please support this great cause. 

Unfortunately I am away in Chicago this year so won't be baking up a storm as I usually do for this great cause.  However, I made sure to leave something for my colleagues to sell at the Macmillan Coffee morning stand. It had to be something that would keep for more than a week so I decided to make some hot chocolate on a stick with mini marshmallows. I made these previously for Christmas one year and they were a huge hit. This time, I used my dariole mould and packaged them nicely in cake pop bags and cute ribbons and gift tags. They look really cute and I hope that they will help raise money for Macmillan. 

 lollipop sticks, dark chocolate, mini marshmallows 

 melt chocolate and pour into a suitable mould. Add mini marshmallows on top so they will stay in place as the chocolate sets. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes then place a lollipop stick in the centre. The chocolate should be semi-set at this point and the stick will stand up on its own. You can also use a teaspoon. 

 Once completely set, remove from mould

 

 My little note :) 

Tribal Hot Chocolate with Bananas

I'm very pleased to announce my first guest post on my blog. Mariam from Hot Chocolate Gourmet is kindly sharing with us her favourite hot chocolate drink. It contains one of my favourite ingredients - bananas! Please check out her blog if you haven't already for everything to do with hot chocolate. Take it away, Mariam!

A hot chocolate that is so rich, creamy and thick you wouldn’t believe it’s actually good for your health!

My version of Kuna hot chocolate

Yet it’s true – this all natural banana hot chocolate recipe comes from the Kuna tribe of Panama – the southernmost country of Central America. This drink is based on only water, bananas and cocoa. As exotic as this may seem to Westerners, it is the only thing the Kuna people drink throughout their conscious life.


While drinking up to 5 cups of hot cocoa every day, there is something the Kuna people don’t do: namely worry about heart disease! According to a Natural Health Dossier report, the latest research shows that cocoa is the Kuna people’s secret weapon against cardiovascular problems. Also, click here to see how it can protect your brain!

How is this tribal hot cocoa drink prepared? The Kuna people boil bananas in a pot of water until they break in pieces. Then they add ground cocoa beans, continue cooking and finally strain.


Because I don’t lead a tribal lifestyle, I adapted this recipe for home use. Making hot chocolate for two, I took


- 1,5 cups of water
- 1 banana
- 4 heaped tsp of all natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutched!)
- A dash of cinnamon

Finishing touch of cinnamon

Thank you Mariam. Here's my take on her recipe...

If you wish, you may use a blender instead of a fork. The latter tool leaves banana fibre intact, so the resulting drink is not as smooth. However, I prefer it this way, because it feels closer to roots.
But if you mash the banana with a fork, please don’t wear a white shirt – otherwise this drink truly has the power to transform you into a savage!!! (Just kidding… But do watch out!)

Now it’s time for you, my dear reader, to speak up: do you like this recipe? How do you modify it? What are the healthy ways you enjoy your cocoa?

Well I had to get out my "chocolate" mug for this one. If you can't quite see it, it says "Lady and the Chocolate" and it has a funny story on the other side. 

I have to admit I was a little nervous cooking bananas into the drink as I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. I've never made hot chocolate with water before but now I'm making most of my hot chocolate with water! I added 4 small squares of chocolate as I wanted it to be extra chocolatey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar for extra sweetness.  The drink itself was rich and chocolatey. The banana adds flavour and texture and the cinnamon complemented the flavours well. You would not have thought this is a healthy drink! (without the extra chocolate and sugar of course)

Thank you Mariam for a great recipe, I'll definitely be making this again :)