What could be better that a steaming cup of Hot Chocolate on a crisp, cold winter day, right?
That’s what I thought, but there was just one problem… our box of delicious Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa Powder was empty, and I wasn’t about to make a trip across town just for a cup of hot chocolate. But even though I wasn’t willing to venture out on this cold day, I was NOT giving up on that cup of Hot Chocolate…. far from it!
Fortunately, an extremely handy tool called Google came to the rescue. In a few minutes a recipe for delicious hot chocolate was located, and my, was it GOOD! It’s so good, in fact, that you simply must try it.
To make 4-6 servings you will need:
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 cup of half-and-half
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (I used Dutch processed)
- ½ cup of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- A dash of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Heat the milk and half-and-half in a large saucepan, taking care to stir frequently to prevent the milk from burning.
In a bowl combine the cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour half of the hot milk into the cocoa mixture, whisking to prevent lumps. Add the cocoa mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan. Heat the mixture again, stirring frequently, and let simmer for 2 minutes (do NOT boil).
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour into cups and top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Feeling creative? Make a cute little guy for the top!
