Wintery Orange Mocha

 

1 orange, washed

5 C strong coffee, leaded or unleaded (note: you sacrifice flavor if you make it too light!)

7 cloves (the whole thing! They sort of look like tiny wooden screws, if you aren’t sure)

1 whole cinnamon stick

½ C unsweetened cocoa powder

½ C brown sugar (you can substitute ¼ C of it for honey)

½ tsp ground cinnamon (for more flavor, leave the stick in longer, don’t add more pwd!)

½ tsp vanilla

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the orange in wide strips; it makes it easier to remove them from the pan later on. In a saucepan, combine peels, cloves, cinnamon stick, and coffee; let stand over medium heat for 5 minutes. Discard orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon stick using either a sieve or a slotted spoon.

In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together cocoa powder, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Whisk into coffee to combine.

Stir in cream and vanilla; the vanilla sometimes gets bitter if added earlier (also, you would add the honey in this step, if using as a substitute). If you have one, you can use an immersion blender to froth the mixture. Ladle into mugs and top with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a curled orange peel. Works best as a hot drink. Serve with my Chocolate Cranberry—and orange!—Biscotti. And best of all, relax.