Chocolate Chilli Pots {with a surprising garnish}

I couldn't resist taking part in this month's We Should Cocoa challenge. By sheer coincidence the same month that I launched the Sweet Heat Challenge, We Should Cocoa announced their monthly mystery ingredient to be none other than chillies! How could I resist?!

I had recently been testing out another 30 Minute Meal from Jamie Oliver's book and had tried his chocolate pots. As delicious as they were I found them a little too strong for my liking....but then I had an idea to adapt them to use milk chocolate and chillies and so my Chocolate Chilli Pots were created! I like to serve them with some thin biscuits which are perfect for dipping into the oozy spiced chocolate – think of them as a grown up (and much better) version of Choc Dips!

As for the surprising little garnish, for the past month I couldn't get the idea out of my head of trying chocolate covered chillies! Yes you heard right, chocolate covered chillies.....not strawberries, oranges or biscuits but chillies. So I couldn't resist for this challenge trying it out and using them to top the chocolate pots. It sounds crazy but you have to trust me on this one and seriously give it a go – the combination of the chocolate pots with the chocolate covered chillies will (possibly literally) blow your socks off! I like the sweetness of white chocolate as it cuts through the intensity of the chilli heat but feel free to try using milk or dark chocolate – either way you have to give it a go! So there you have it – Chocolate Chilli Pots with Chocolate Covered Chillies.....you can't get more chocolate & chilli than that!

200g milk or dark chocolate (whatever is your preference)*

300ml single cream

small knob of butter

pinch of salt

1-2 dried chillies

For the chocolate covered chillies:

2-3 long chillies

85g white chocolate

Bring a large pan of water to a simmer then add put a bowl over the top. Keep the heat low so that the water is barely simmering and make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Add the chocolate, cream, butter, salt and chillies and heat gently, stirring as you do, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is silky smooth. Leave the mixture for a while to infuse before pouring into ramekins or espresso cups. For me they taste best at room temperature but you could serve them warm or cold – just whatever your preference is.

For the chocolate covered chillies, melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water then once perfectly melted and smooth remove from the heat. Dip the chillies in so that they get a good even coating then lay down on a baking tray covered with baking parchment. Once they are all coated in the chocolate pop them in the fridge to set. When ready to use simply slice them up. I like to put a few on each chocolate pot then leave the remaining chillies out on a board so people can help themselves.....this is wickedly special!

*If you dark chocolate is your chocolate of choice why not try dark chocolate infused with chilli with a little extra chilli heat and flavour!