One popular recent trend on social media is making Earl Grey flavored drinks and pastries. To see if the trend is worth the hype, I decided to make this Earl Grey hot chocolate recipe from cafe- hailee.com, with a few tweaks.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 bags Earl Grey tea
4 ounces chopped chocolate
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream
Honey
Add 2 cups of milk, 2-3 teaspoons of light brown sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to a small saucepan over low heat.
Meanwhile, make the honey whipped cream by combining 1 cup of heavy cream, a spoonful of honey, 1⁄2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy and all the ingredients are combined. Set the bowl aside.
Once the saucepan from the first step is brought to a simmer, add the tea bags, cover it, and turn off the heat. I modified the original recipe to use 3 tea bags to help the tea flavor stand out.
After letting the tea bags steep for 5 minutes, remove the teabags and squeeze out the liquid. Add two teaspoons of cocoa powder and 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate (I used a mixture of 60% and 90%) to the mixture,then bring the heat to low.
Once simmering, whisk the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
Serve in a cup and top with honey whipped cream.
Throughout the cooking process, I constantly taste-tested both of the mixtures to get an idea on how the finished product might taste. The honey whipped cream had a noticeable honey flavor to it, but it wasn’t overpowering. The hot chocolate itself was rich and filling. Another part that I liked was the portion size, as there was plenty even though I used the single serving size version of the recipe. Combined with the whipped cream, the drink became even milkier
than before.
However, one issue I had with the final result was that I barely tasted the tea, as it was drowned out by the chocolate-y flavors. Even as someone who loves chocolate, it was a little disappointing, especially considering that I used more tea bags than the original recipe called for.
Overall, I would give the recipe an 8 out of 10, and I would definitely try it again. Compared to other methods such as instant powder, the combination of actual chocolate, cocoa powder, and other flavors helps make the drink richer. However, I would use chocolate with a lower cocoa concentration to make the chocolate flavor less prominent and help the Earl Grey stand out more. As the weather
is still relatively cold, you should consider making this drink for a comforting, sweet treat.
