Hot chocolate makeover: Pumpkin puree is the secret star
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 will make leaving home on a chilly December morning much easier. It's also perfect after a walk. One ingredient works wonders!
At this time of year, we particularly appreciate recipes for warming drinks. We reach for juices, spices, and honey to make coffee or tea work even better. We suggest adding hot chocolate to this list. This drink provides plenty of vitamins and minerals, and when we enrich it with a vegetable addition, it will warm us even better.
A seasonal vegetable as the star
What vegetable addition are we talking about? Pumpkin puree, which we know well from pumpkin spice lattes. It pairs perfectly with the taste of milk, so it blends wonderfully in hot chocolate. The spiced pumpkin puree not only gives the drink a spicy flavour but also boosts immunity.
Boosts immunity
At this time of year, it's worth reaching for pumpkin as often as possible. This affordable, seasonal vegetable positively affects immunity. It contains beta-carotene, as well as vitamins C and E, and minerals like iron and magnesium. Including it in our meals strengthens the body. This can help avoid 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 only using cocoa when making cakes or desserts. We consume it much less often, replacing it with other, often less nutritious drinks. Meanwhile, cocoa contains several substances, such as theobromine and caffeine, which stimulate the nervous system and improve mood. That's invaluable on cold days.
Can't even remember the last time you drank hot chocolate? This recipe is a good excuse to make it. Hot chocolate with pumpkin puree wonderfully warms and boosts your mood.
Hot chocolate with pumpkin puree
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Hokkaido pumpkin
- about 500 ml of milk
- about 250 ml of milk for froth, optional
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa
- honey to taste
- turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and 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 softens.
- 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 250 ml of milk and froth with a frother.
- Pour the pumpkin puree into glasses or cups, add the hot chocolate, and you can add milk froth.
