Forget cold toes and stuffy noses, cuddle up and enjoy a spicy winter warmer. Winter is a great excuse to fill your home with glorious spicy scents. Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg are all great ingredients for a comforting winter drink before bed. It’s time to whip out the slow cooker for something other than stew. This way you can catch up on series with a hand warmer of a drink without breaking a sweat.
Slow Spiced White Hot Chocolate
(Serves six to eight people)
Ingredients:
250g white chocolate, broken up in small pieces
4 cups of milk
2 cups of cream
1 can of condensed milk
4 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or substitute with 2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp of ground nutmeg
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for three hours. Stir occasionally. Remove the cinnamon sticks before serving. Serve hot and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Slow Gingerbread Latte
(Serves six to eight people)
Ingredients:
8 cups of full-cream milk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
a pinch of cloves
½ tsp fresh ground ginger
3 cups of espresso or very strong coffee
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for three hours until heated. Turn the heat to warm and stir occasionally. Cook for a further two hours. Serve with whipped cream.
Slow Spiced Wine
(Serves six people)
Ingredients:
1 bottle red wine (Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
¼ cup honey
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 cups apple cider
5 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 whole star anise
¼ cup brandy
Add the wine, cider, honey and orange juice into a large slow cooker and stir the mixture to combine. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and anise. Cook on low for 30 minutes to an hour until warm. Stir in the brandy. Serve with an orange slice.
Words and images: Rita-Mari Ludike and supplied
