Cannabis Infused Italian Ethiopian Hot Chocolate
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons mini-marshmellows (about 8-12)
(if you use sweet or semi-sweet chocolate reduce this to 2 tablespoons)
3 ounces bittersweet/semi-sweet/sweet chocolate, finely chopped
With December upon us and the darkest part of the year, a pick-me-up is nice to have to both warm you and bring some uplifting mood change and pain relief. Cannabis loves chocolate and the taste and affect is unforgettable.
Italian Hot Chocolate is renowned for it's richness and taste and the Altruistic StrainHunters have put together a recipe that is tried and true. This can be modified for evening drinkers when caffeine is not ideal or when a person is sensitive by negating the Ethiopian beans.
The ideal recipe has very little or no sugar and gains it's sweetness from the chocolate itself or from the additive that is carrying your cannabis….we've tried honey, glycerin, and agave and although sugar gives the most traditional taste, using semi-sweet chocolate with a honey tincture gives a very rich and layered taste, our end preference is to actually medicate the chocolate with a full spectrum resin that has been activated and to use mini-marshmellows to sweeten the drink to taste. With the right selection of chocolate, the extra sweetener is only to keep the drink aligned to it's "Italian Hot Chocolate" origins where most people do not want that much sugar in a single libation. The marshmellows give a custom way to sweeten the drink to taste and with a little play, the marshmellows can actually be fortified with hash oil much in the same way we'll describe making the chocolate.
INSTRUCTIONS
The first step is to finely chop your chocolate so that it melts quickly and evenly. The chocolate is most easily fortified with hash oil by putting it in a small glass jar and giving it a water bath inside the slow cooker. If the slow cooker is not available, a pot with water on low will suffice. With some stirring, the chocolate/hash mixture can be prepped in 10-12 minutes. Another option is to use a coconut tincture in this same manner and lace the oil in to the chocolate but the texture is impacted this way and the dosing is also scaled back. Using straight hash oil is the most tasty and potent method.
The second step is to take anywhere from 1 to 3 Ethiopian coffee beans and finely chop them evenly so there are no sharp or larger pieces, the ideal method is to run them in a coffee grinder so they are powdered nicely. We recommend using a single bean until you find your specific taste for caffeine and the added bitterness the beans bring to the finish of the hot chocolate. One technique for blending the coffee's taste further is to pour your freshly ground beans directly in with the chocolate and hash for the initial 10-20 minute water bath.
The final steps take place while your chocolate, hash, and coffee beans are stewing and can take place on a simple low burner in a small sauce pot.
In a bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the half-and-half with 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch, whisking until smooth. It is important that there are no lumps.
Place the remaining half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. When the half-and-half begins to bubble around the edges whisk in the cornstarch mixture until the half-and-half thickens slightly, usually less than a minute.
Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the chocolate until very smooth.
Pour into two cups. Enjoy
