Homemade Hot Cocoa
Are you really picking up a packet of instant hot cocoa?
HOW OLD ARE YOU?
Too old for foil packets of instant hot cocoa, that is for sure. It's time to treat yourself to a better kind of hot cocoa, marshmallows optional.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2-3 cups of milk.
Yes, that's IT. No need to panic.
Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium pot. Slowly add the milk while whisking so you don't have any lumps. Bring up to a near boil, stirring occasionally. The whole process, from finding the cocoa in your pantry until it's ready to drink will take you no more than 10 minutes.
OH NO, I hear you say, I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME. Pshaw, make a double batch and keep the extra in the fridge for instant hot cocoa fix. You can also sub in some half and half, cream, or evaporated milk in for part of the regular milk. It's 2-3 cups of milk so that you can make it stronger or milder depending on your taste.
Options for Homemade Hot Cocoa:
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried chile
Fresh mint leaves (jam them into a tea diffuser, or plan on straining hot cocoa before serving)
Orange peel
Fresh ginger
Roasted chopped nuts, like almonds or hazelnuts (strain before drinking)
You could conceivably pick any two of the items on that list and add them to your hot cocoa, allowing the fresh goods (ginger, orange peel) to steep in the warm liquid before drinking. I used cinnamon and half a dried chile in my hot cocoa the other night; it was spicy, warm, and delicious. If I want to go nuts, I'll warm milk up and throw in chopped roasted almonds and let it sit for an hour, and then use the strained milk in hot cocoa. It's crazy good.
Homemade hot cocoa is so much better than the watery stuff from a packet; it's like comparing the sole of a shoe with a steak--there is no comparison. Try it today.
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