* This post is sponsored by Fairtrade Australia New Zealand. All opinions remain my own.
Have you ever found yourself with leftover chocolate (yes, that is a thing), and wondered what to do with it? Well, wonder no more. Turn any leftover chocolate into these spiced hot chocolate spoons. And don’t forget to print out my FREE gift tags to turn the spoons into an easy last minute gift.
Total Time Investment: 10 minutes
I’ll let you in on a (not so) guilty secret. Every afternoon I enjoy taking a few moments out of a hectic day with a cup of tea and a few pieces of chocolate. But it can’t be just any old chocolate. The chocolate must be dark, and it must be bitter, and it must be Fairtrade.
I come from a long line of farmers. My mother’s family were amongst the first settlers of my home town, and they planted the first wheat crop in the district. My paternal grandfather cleared the property my family still farms to this day. By virtue of grower’s co-operatives, my family receive a fair price for their crops; the proceeds of which have enabled me to gain a decent education, receive a University degree, put clothes on my back and food in my belly.
I am acutely aware the effect a good grain price has not only on my family, but the whole farming community. A good year means there is money to be spent in the local shops, and on community projects. A bad year means that everybody keeps their pockets closed, and the community suffers.
It is this upbringing that sees me seek out initiatives that give the highest return to the producer. I buy fruit, vegetables and meat from the local farmers market, where I know the traders by name. And for those products not farmed locally, be it tea, coffee, vanilla or … best of all … chocolate, I choose Fairtrade goods.
I choose Fairtrade goods as Fairtrade have established farmer’s co-operatives which operate in much the same way as the grower’s co-operative my family are part of. Being part of a co-operative enables the farmers to negotiate a premium price for their products, a price they would be unable to negotiate on their own. And when a farmer knows they have locked in a good price for their crop, they feel confident about planning for the future and about investing in their communities.
By purchasing Fairtrade goods, I know the money is being returned directly to the grower, and as I well know, more money returned to the grower benefits the community as a whole. Something to really consider if you are stocking up on chocolate this Easter.
The Princess seems to have picked up my attitude towards chocolate. Every Easter and Christmas she requests a top up of her stash; a request that sees me scouring the Oxfam shop for new varieties that may have appeared since my last visit. I’ve obviously not worked hard enough on the rest of the family though, as each Easter I find myself in possession of leftover chocolate eggs and bunnies that are not suitable to be paired with my afternoon cup of tea.
Not wanting to waste these second class bunnies, I have become creative about ways of disposing of them. One year I baked them into chocolate scones. This year I intend to blitz them into my hot chocolate mix or turn them into these spiced hot chocolate spoons.
So family, take note. If you don’t want those chocolate bunnies to meet a cruel end in the blender, please make mine Fairtrade.
Ingredient Substitutions
You can use any leftover chocolate to make these spoons. Milk, dark or white will all work equally well. If you are using large leftover bunnies or Easter eggs, roughly chop them or blitz the briefly in a food processor before proceeding with the recipe. This will just help the chocolate melt faster.
Chocolate buttons or blocks of chocolate can be substituted for leftover chocolate. Although I do mean chocolate, and not candy melts.
Add whatever spices you prefer to the spoons. Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger all work well with chocolate. Vanilla powder would also be a delicious addition if you can find it.
If you like a little bit of heat, add some cayenne pepper to the spice mix for a Mexican hot chocolate.
Tips & Tricks for the Best Spiced Hot Chocolate Spoons
I know that leftover chocolate shouldn’t be a thing, but in some homes it really is. If you’ve ever wondered how to use those leftover bunnies and leftover Easter eggs, that small amount of leftover chocolate chips in the bottom of the bag from when you made those choc chip cookies, or even the leftover melted chocolate from other projects, then these hot chocolate spoons are for you.
You don’t need to make the full amount I’ve detailed in the recipe below. Just melt any amount of leftover chocolate, pour it into moulds, dust it with cinnamon, stick in a teaspoon and you have a spiced hot chocolate spoon. If you are not gifting it, use teaspoons from your own set.
If you are using a silicone mould, place the mould on a rigid tray before you fill it with chocolate. This will make it easier to move the mould around your kitchen, and in and out of the fridge.
Store the spoons in an airtight container once set. They will keep for at least a month at room temperature, assuming you don’t use them all before this.
Spiced Hot Chocolate Spoons as Gifts
These spoons make the ultimate last minute gift. With very little effort you can have a batch of hot chocolate spoons made in no time at all. Make up a hot chocolate gift basket as an indulgent gift. Include some hot chocolate spoons, a nice mug and some chocolate marshmallows. If you wanted to be particularly generous, you could also add a jar of hot chocolate mix.
Or wrap the spoons individually in cellophane and add a lovely gift tag to create meaningful small gifts. If you don’t wish to make your own gift tags, download my FREE gift tag printable below.
Click To Download the FREE Gift Tag Printable
Spiced Hot Chocolate Spoons
Ingredients
- 400 g (2 1/4 cups) leftover chocolate preferably Fairtrade
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- You will also need some wooden spoons or pop sticks, and an ice cube tray or other mould.
Instructions
To make the spiced hot chocolate spoons
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
- Scatter a scant amount of the mixed spice (about 1/8 teaspoon) into the bottom of each cavity of your chosen mould (I use an ice cube tray), and set both the remainder of the spice mix and the mould aside.
- Place the chocolate into a stainless steel or glass bowl and sit over a saucepan of simmering water. [See Note 1] If it is in large pieces (say an Easter bunny) I would chop it into smaller pieces first.
- Gently stir until the chocolate is melted.
- Spoon the melted chocolate gently over the spices in the bottom of your chosen moulds, then top up the cavity with the remainder of the melted chocolate. Be careful not to fill the mould cavities right to the top to allow room for the wooden spoon.
- Scatter the remainder of the spice mix over the top of the chocolate.
- Push a wooden spoon or popsicle stick into each cavity.
- Place the mould into the fridge or freezer until set.
- Once set, gently unmould the hot chocolate spoons.
- Gently tap off any loose spice mix. Reserve for dusting the top of your hot chocolate.
- The spoons are ready for use immediately. Store the remainder of the spoons in an airtight container until required.
To use the spiced hot chocolate spoons.
- Warm your preferred milk to just below boiling point. I do this is a saucepan but you could easily warm it in the microwave if you prefer.
- Pour the milk into your favourite mug and add the spoon.
- Let the spoon sit for 1-2 minutes, then stir the chocolate through the milk.
- Enjoy!
What an AWESOME idea! I can’t tell you how much random chocolate we have in the house. This is really neat.
Thanks Benny 😀 Good to know we are not the only ones that have leftover chocolate 😉
That’s an awesome idea to preserve the chocolate leftovers. There are lots of people like us, looking for an idea to save that leftover chocolate. Thank you for sharing the handy tips.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them.