Chocolate ice cubes

[angelikitten]

I know this might not sound like a good idea, but they do work. I tried them in maewyn's iced coffee this morning, and it was awesome - they didn't dilute the coffee as much as regular ice does (I like my coffee really strong) and they added flavour. They'd probably work really well in creamy or milky cold drinks such as milkshakes or Baileys.


Ingredients:

• 200ml milk
• 50ml water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 70g grated chocolate

Equipment:

• 1 pan
• Ice cube trays/bags

Method:

1. Put milk, water, sugar and cocoa powder into pan. Stir the mixture a little as it heats up (it won't need much), and bring to the boil.
2. Take the pan off the heat and add the grated chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts into the mix.
3. Leave to cool. When it's cool, pour into ice cube trays/bags, and put into the freezer until... well, frozen.

Hints and tips:

• If you don't have plain cocoa powder, instant hot chocolate will work - just don't use any sugar.
• If you like your chocolate dark, you might want to use a slightly darker chocolate for this than you'd usually use, because of the added milk. Also, you can always use flavoured chocolate. Just sayin'.
• Technically the chocolate doesn't have to be grated. You could probably melt the chocolate instead, then add it to the mix, but I haven't tested this theory.
• You could probably make this using a jug and a microwave instead, but I haven't tested that theory either.
• When I found this recipe, it said it should make 24 ice cubes. Either it lied, or my ice cube trays make really big ice cubes. Plan accordingly.
• If you're completely new to boiling things involving milk, use a larger pan and a lower heat than you think you need. Also, the mixture is boiling when the bubbles are rolling on the surface - take the pan off the heat as soon as it does this, or you might just learn how fast milk can boil over.
• If the chocolate refuses to melt in properly (i.e. it just sits on top of the mix), put it back on the heat for a few seconds at a time until it does. It's not a massive deal if it doesn't melt in completely - all that will happen is that the cubes will have tiny bits of chocolate in them that won't melt when you use them, but they'll be barely noticeable. It all depends on how much of a perfectionist you are.