Valentine's Day Hot Chocolate with Chili

Heat the milk in a small saucepan together with the ground cinnamon, chili powder, and the seeds of the vanilla pod (as well as the scraped-out pod itself for more aroma). Bring the mixture almost to a boil, but do not let it boil.

Break the dark chocolate into pieces and add to the hot milk. Melt, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth and velvety. Remove the vanilla pod.

Sweeten the hot chocolate with maple syrup. Taste carefully: the spiciness of the chili should be subtly noticeable in the background, without dominating the chocolate flavor. If necessary, add another small pinch of chili. Finally, stir in the whipped cream.