The best bit about Christmas rule breaking? Morning chocolate. It starts with a little square from your advent calendar, and quickly develops into guilt-free consumption of chocolate pennies, chocolate Father Christmases, chocolate truffles… chocolate anything, really.
This year, we’ve decided to embrace it, working this craving into a hearty (and cocoa laden) breakfast spread.
Chocolate Breakfast Recipes
with Twigg Studios
Start the day with chocolate praline buns and bourbon marshmallow-topped cocoa.
Words by Leanne Mascoll Wheaton
“I love the idea of having a couple of recipes in your locker that encapsulate the sugary, child-like rush of happiness you get from a little square of chocolate at this time of year” explains Aimee Twigger, author and recipe developer behind Twigg Studios. “When Anthropologie asked me to design two exclusive recipes for them, I knew exactly what I was going to do: fluffy chocolate praline buns and bourbon-spiked hot chocolate, topped with a homemade bourbon and cocoa marshmallow.”
Whip up a batch, eat, sip and enjoy every magical moment.
Whip up a batch, eat, sip and enjoy every magical moment.
Chocolate Praline Buns
What you will need:
For the dough
350 grams strong plain flour
7 grams (1 pack) fast action yeast
5 grams salt
40 grams sugar
100 millilitres warm milk (microwave for 35 seconds)
3 medium eggs (lightly beaten together)
20 grams butter
For the praline chocolate truffle filing
100 grams blanched hazelnuts
30 grams flakes almonds
2 tablespoons water
150 grams caster sugar
100 grams dark chocolate (Aimee used sea salt chocolate for this recipe)
150 millilitres double cream
How to Make it:
- To make the dough add the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the packet of fast action yeast to one side of the bowl, pour in the milk and start mixing. Add the eggs and beat at high speed, kneading the dough for 5 minutes. Add the butter a little at a time, kneading for 3 more minutes.
2. Place in an oiled bowl and leave to rise for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. Alternatively, rise in the fridge overnight.
3. To make the praline, gently toast the nuts in a dry pan for 1 minute. Remove from pan or spread out on some baking paper. In the same pan add the sugar and water and stir until just combined. Leave to simmer, brushing the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush so it doesn’t burn. When it turns a golden amber colour, check it’s at hard boil stage by dripping a little in a bowl of water. If it instantly sets hard it’s ready. Pour over the nuts and leave until it sets hard.
4. Break up the praline and whiz in a food processor until it is very finely ground. Break up the chocolate and add to the food processor with the ground praline to finely chop it up.
5. Heat the cream in a pan. When it is simmering, pour in the chocolate and praline and mix until the chocolate is melted. Pour the mixture into jars and leave to cool.
Tip: Once you’ve finished making this recipe, put any leftover cream mixture in the fridge. It will set like a ganache so you and you can make truffles by taking spoonfuls, rolling it into balls and then roll the balls in cocoa powder.
6. Knock the air out of the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough out and spread on the filling. Roll up into a log, cut into buns and place in a lined tin. Leave to rise again for 1 hour.
Tip: Alternatively, you can shape the buns like stars. Divide the dough into four balls. Cut each ball into three and roll them into flat circles. Working through the four groups containing three circles of dough, spread the filling on and then add the next layer of dough until all three are stacked. Place a small circular object in the centre and then cut the dough in 16 lines around the circle, each cut starting at the circular object and coming out in a straight line to the edge of the dough. Taking 2 sections at a time, twist them together 3 times, press the ends together, arrange them like a star and leave to rise for 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Brush the buns with a beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes until golden
Bourbon Spiked Hot Chocolate
What you will need:
100 grams dark chocolate
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 litre whole milk
Splash of bourbon
1 cinnamon stick
How to Make it:
- Heat the milk and cinnamon stick in a pan.
2. Finely chop chocolate and add to the hot milk with the cocoa powder and bourbon until the chocolate has melted and serve.
Spiced Bourbon & Cocoa Marshmallows
What you will need:
50 grams powdered sugar
50 grams corn flour
Oil (enough to oil a pan)
225 grams caster sugar
60 grams light brown sugar
5 tablespoon water
3 ½ sachets of powdered gelatine
2 egg whites (70g)
2 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
1 and a half teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon black treacle
How to Make it:
- Grease a square tin thoroughly with oil. Mix the corn flour and icing sugar together in a bowl then dust the tin making sure it is completely covered with the mixture. Tip the excess back into the bowl for later.
2. Add the egg whites, 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar and a pinch of salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. Don’t turn it on yet.
3. Add the gelatine in a bowl and cover with some cold water. Mix and leave to one side.
4. In a pan add the rest of the caster sugar, brown sugar, liquid glucose and 5 tablespoons of water and stir until the sugar has melted. Clip on a candy thermometer. Use a pastry brush to brush the sides of the pan so that it doesn’t burn but make sure you don’t stir the mixture of the sugar will crystallise. The sugar needs to get to 120°C/248°F.
5. Once it reaches 115°C/239°F, turn the mixer on and start beating the egg whites so it reaches stiff meringue like peaks.
6. When the sugar reaches 120°C/248°F, remove from the heat. Whisk In the gelatine, bourbon, treacle, vanilla and spices being careful that is doesn’t bubble up. Mix until it is completely combined. Pour the hot liquid into the egg whites as it is beaten by the mixer, pouring it slowly in one steady stream. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and full of volume.
7. Quickly pour into the prepared tin, spread out and dust the top with some more of the icing sugar and corn flour mixture. Leave to set for a few hours, cut into squares and roll in some more of the sugar and corn flour mixture.
Have you seen our new film? Click here to watch Yuletide Rules: Plat du Jour – Chocolat