Name: Hot Spiced Chocolate
Ingredients: stephen ceideburg; 3 cup 2-percent low-fat chocolate; -milk; 1 1/2 cup skim milk; 4 three inch sticks cinnamon *; 1 dash of ground nutmeg; 1 dash of ground cloves; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla; 36 miniature marshmallows; 1 ground cinnamon, optional

Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,686 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chocolate milk: Provides the chocolate flavour and most of the liquid base for the drink.
Skim milk: Adds more liquid and creaminess, keeping the drink lighter than whole milk would.
Cinnamon sticks: Infuse warm, woody spice aroma into the milk as it heats, then are removed.
Miniature marshmallows: Melt slightly on the hot drink, adding sweetness and a soft, creamy topping.

The step that matters

Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Milk and chocolate can scorch or form a skin when overheated, and boiling can make the drink grainy or cause it to boil over. Gentle heat warms it evenly while keeping it smooth.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cloves	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Marshmallow	not in our table	0

Hot Spiced Chocolate