Spicy hot chocolate and Roscon de Reyes!

When most of the Christian World celebrates the epiphany, in Spain, the 6th of January the arrival of the wise men or Los reyes magos is celebrated.

On the 5th of January, you can see the wise men parade in the streets of almost every city in Spain. Families gather and wait for the passing parades accompanied by kids who feel very excited at the sight of the wise men.

For kids, the reyes magos are the equivalent of Santa Claus. In fact, the next morning the whole family gathers to open the gifts the reyes magos left for the little ones.

Before gift are unwrapped, kids have to patiently wait and have a traditional breakfast with the family. To make the waiting more manageable, the traditional breakfast offering is a sweet delicious treat: hot chocolate with roscon de reyes!

Roscon is a roll shaped bread decorated with candied fruits. Some rolls have a small surprise inside of them (usually small figurines of wise men) and tradition goes whoever gets the roll with the surprise piece will have a lucky year ahead.

I didn´t have time to make roscon, so I bought some from a local bakery, but I had time to make my favorite hot chocolate!

During the increasingly cold days of winter, the best way to warm up your heart is by sipping a spicy cup of hot chocolate. The recipe is not a discovery,  nevertheless, I like to share my take on this popular and comforting beverage!

For a cup of this hot chocolate you need:

• 150 ml of soy milk 
• 50 g of coarsely chopped dark chocolate
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• seeds of half vanilla bean
• 30 g brown sugar
• whipped cream and ground cinnamon for the decoration

In a saucepan combine the milk, star anise, cinnamon, sugar, the seeds and the vanilla bean. Let them simmer for about 5 to 7 min until fragrant. Add the chocolate and whisk until it melts and is well mixed into the milk.
If you want a thicker hot chocolate you can add half tsp of corn flour mixed with a teaspoon of water then add it slowly and whisk quickly.

Pour the chocolate and add whipped cream (dairy or vegan like coconut cream)  and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy this drink on your longer winter nights or whenever you're in the mood for some comfort. Don't wait for the next winter storm, try it now!