You Pinspire Me
My kids love hot chocolate. Like, a LOT. It probably has something to do with the fact that we have 2 things in the house that they get in their cups: 1) Water 2) Milk.
Juice is for Grandma’s house or picnics. Pop (soda) is…pretty much only present once a year at the extended family Christmas celebration.
So when I tell them that they get to have liquid chocolate to drink? They start jumping up and down all, “I’m so exciting, I’m so exciting to have HOT CHOCOLATE!”
Here’s the rule: If you want Hot Chocolate, you have to go play outside first. If you want marshmallows, you’d best play out there for a LONG time. I think it’s pretty fair.
Last year, I bought hot chocolate in individual packets because we used so little of it. This year, I realized, after a particularly long session of play outside in the snow, that we didn’t have any hot chocolate powder in the house! We didn’t even have any chocolate bunny! And then I remembered that my mom always used to make us the most delicious hot chocolate on the stove with real milk and real chocolate! The brilliant thing about a hot chocolate recipe is that it isn’t really a hot chocolate recipe at all – or at least, it’s SO. SIMPLE. that it might as well not be a recipe.
Are you ready? Here it goes.
- Heat milk in a double boiler over simmering (but not boiling) water, whisking all the while so that a skin doesn’t form on the milk.
- When the milk gets warm, add a bunch of chocolate, and stir with a whisk until it’s all melted and thoroughly combined.
- Pour into mugs.
- Top with marshmallows, if desired.
- Enjoy.
Want ‘After 8’ hot chocolate? Use mint chocolate chips.
Don’t like sweet hot chocolate? Use dark chocolate baking squares.
Don’t like strong hot chocolate? Don’t add much chocolate.
Don’t have any baking chocolate or chocolate chips? Use the chocolate letter that no one ate at Christmas & that you’ve been trying to ignore!
Want a Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate? Use milk chocolate chips and add some orange zest or a tablespoon of orange juice concentrate!
Want a really thick & rich hot chocolate? Pour ALL THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS into the milk.
See what I mean, guys? This is a really simple hot chocolate recipe. Would you call it a recipe? I think perhaps I should call it a Method.
Stop buying the powdered junk. It tastes terrible in comparison.
Jenn vanOosten
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Silly bloggers…thinking that solid chocolate lasts in our house for more than 5 minutes. Even baking chocolate goes the way of the dodo after a short while.
…but I’ve also found that whisking together cocoa powder, sugar, and milk on the stove top makes a mighty fine hot chocolate. 🙂 You want to use whole milk when doing this…or suffer through a low fat beverage…but it’s quite tasty.
Hmm, I’ve never tried it with cocoa powder and sugar – but I am with you 100% on the whole milk!! That’s the only milk we have in the house right now and I just can’t get past the weird water consistency when we’re fed 1% milk at other peoples’ houses!!
In Argentina a hot chocolate is called a submarino. When you order it in a cafe you get given a tall glass of steaming frothed milk and a chocolate bar to stir in with a long spoon. Delicious and my girls’ drink of choice 🙂
Wow – that sounds amazing, Tara!! If I EVER find myself in Argentina, I am absolutely ordering one of those! Yum…
Sounds delicious. I’ll have to try it. The kids have been begging me to make hot chocolate. We only drink 2% milk, so I might have to pick up some whole milk.
Whole milk is definitely not a requirement, but it does make it more rich. 🙂
I never use real chocolate. It scares me.