Cold winter weather always calls for a nice, cozy cup of hot chocolate don’t you agree? We took a short trip to the island, and while it wasn’t exactly wintery weather, it was still mighty cold. So Hitman took me to a place in downtown Courtenay called Hot Chocolates for…wait for it….Hot Chocolate!!
Now Hot Chocolates actually coexists with the artisan bakery Cakebread. On one side, there’s handmade belgian chocolate treats of all sorts plus gelato. On the other side, baked goodies that are sure to bring out your indecisive side.
Prices are on par to similar bakeries…tarts and such are around $4+.
Their drinks come in Starbucks sizes. We both ordered a short Belgian Hot Chocolate (~$3+), having his made with almond milk instead.
I must say they were quite heavy-handed with the chocolate part, not that I’m complaining. Hitman didn’t stir his as he’s drinking so there was a layer of melted chocolate at the bottom of his mug, which I happily scooped up and added to my drink.
I must say it was as good as hot chocolate can be, certainly not the BEST I’ve had but with the companion and the relaxing vacation state of mind it was quite nice. Now if it was made with dark chocolate that might change my opinion for the even better.
Since there’s a lovely bakery nearby, I couldn’t resist and had to get a munchie, and of course I got to pick what we eat. To prevent sugar overload, I held back and decided on one of their famous Crack Pies ($4.50) to share. How am I preventing the overload? I told you, we shared.
The Crack Pie was an oat cookie crust filled with Quebecois sugar pie filling, topped with chocolate ganache and cocoa nibs.
I’m convinced that they’ve named this delicious creation as such because once you’ve tried it, you’ll become addicted to it. Hitman has other ideas though…He thinks it ’cause the sugar pie cracks when u put a fork into it….how boring!! I like my idea better.
At first I thought the cocoa nibs were cocoa beans, which they may very well be. The sugar pie filling reminds me of a milk custard. It was delicious!
