Lavender Hot Chocolate

There's something that must be done when you find yourself craving hot chocolate on a daily basis. The only answer is to make yourself some hot chocolate, immediately. When you have milk in your refrigerator and chocolate in your pantry, there really is no excuse not to do so.

Thank gosh, finally, the weather has finally caught up with the season. It's been cold with grey skies and light drizzles - basically, my dream weather. You don't understand how long I've been waiting for it to be winter weather, or better put, how long my closet has been waiting! Coats, jackets, boots and gloves finally get their day to shine outside of my four walls. Yipee!

This lavender scented hot chocolate was yummy. Super rich, filled with great chocolate flavor and just a hint of flowery lavender. But if you don't fancy lavender - I wouldn't suggest it, as it's a love or hate kind of thing. I wouldn't have this hot chocolate every day since it is really rich, but it is a nice indulgent treat for every once and a while. My favorite part is when the whipped cream mixes with the hot chocolate to make a frothy little concoction that is impossible to resist.

A well paired treat to a wintery cold day! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! My family had bunches of food galore and of course lots of desserts ;)

Lavender Hot Chocolate

Yields: 2 servings

Original recipe here.

Notes: since the lavender is fragrant, adjust the amount according to your preference. For a creamier hot chocolate, a 1:1 ratio or dark to milk chocolate can be used. 

For the hot chocolate:

2 cups whole milk

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cacao)

1 oz. milk chocolate

1/4 tsp. lavender buds

For the whipped cream:

1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or seeds from 1/4 of a vanilla bean pod

1/2 tbsn. sugar

For the whipped cream, place the cold cream, vanilla and sugar into a cold mixing bowl. Beat the mixture with a whisk or mixer until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated until ready for use. For the hot chocolate, beat the milk and lavender over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the milk begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let the lavender steep for 5 minutes. Strain the lavender and return the milk to the saucepan. Over medium heat, add the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Whisk the milk mixture for 10 - 20 seconds or until frothy. Pour into a large mug and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Gorgeous lavender buds:

Good chocolate is necessary!

Lavender & Vanilla Bean French Macarons

After I 'mastered' the macaron, I was flying on air! I couldn't wait to dirty up my hands and have a go at them again. I had this perfect little package of almond flour waiting for me to use it up (more about this perfect almond flour below) - but I was waiting for the special opportunity to use it. My friend's birthday was just around the corner and I knew there was one thing that would make her heart explode - a plethora of French macarons!

These lavender macarons are especially pretty! I love the color of the light violet and the speckled buttercream in the center. These came out perfectly - lucky me! The lavender flavor is very prominent, even though I just sprinkled the tops with the dried lavender. It's very floral, so if you aren't used to it, you might be surprised by the flavor. My favorite part though is the vanilla bean buttercream! It's so fabulous, I cannot even express! It literally tastes like a delicious vanilla bean ice cream.

About this perfect almond flour, Sam, from Oh Nuts!, was kind enough to send me some fabulous and very generous samples of anything I fancied from their website. Trust me, I was having a hard time picking the things that I wanted, because there's every kind of dried fruit and nut a girl could ever want! I finally decided on the almond flour, dried peaches, Antwerp pistachios and hazelnuts. Everything was delicious, and I swear I'm not just saying that!

I've never tried dried peaches before but these were wonderful and I can't wait to stuff them into a cookie! The Antwerp pistachios were an extreme treat because they are unlike the regular pistachios you get from the supermarket, they are smaller and have this great flavor. Of course, I had to get the almond flour for macaron making! This flour was perfect and especially great because the skins had been removed, which makes for a prettier macaron!

If you need some fine quality fruit & nut products, go to the Oh Nuts! website immediately!

Lavendar & Vanilla Bean French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsn.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 1 tbsn.

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

purple food coloring

culinary lavendar buds, about 2 tbsn.

For the vanilla bean SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 vanilla bean, split & seeded

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bad with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar and almond powder/ meal to make sure there are no lumps. Add the purple food coloring into the granulated sugar to your desired shade and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Sprinkle some violet buds on top of each macaron. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. Fold in the vanilla beans and extract. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the vanilla bean SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Oops! I guess I didn't properly mix in the purple food coloring :/