My Favorite Way to Make Hot Chocolate *plus* Mexican Hot Chocolate

Brrrrrr.....Baby, it's cold outside!

....I love this scene from "Elf"

On Sunday we were wearing t-shirts on the boat.  Yesterday morning (and this morning) we had a freeze!  Due to the cooler temperatures, I decided to make hot chocolate. This recipe uses a paste.  Let me show you what I mean!

RJ's Favorite Hot Chocolate

(serves one)

Ingredients:

2 heaping T Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa

2 t sugar

1 cup plus 1 T milk

Directions:

1.   Mix cocoa, sugar, and 1 T milk together in a mug.  Be patient!  This requires A LOT OF STIRRING!!!  Eventually it should look like this:

Literally, it's the consistency of toothpaste.

2.   Heat milk either on the stovetop or in the microwave.  I heat mine in the microwave in a glass measuring cup for 1 minute 45 seconds to two minutes.

3.   Stir warm milk into paste.  This also requires several stirs.

Yum!  Cocoalicious!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

My daughters' favorite recipe is Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate 

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate 

1/3 cup sugar

4 cups milk 

pinch salt 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Garnish: 

1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

whipped cream 

Directions:

Mix chocolate, sugar, milk, and salt in a two quart sauce pan over medium low heat until the chocolate is melted and the ingredients are well blended. Add vanilla.  Pour hot chocolate into mugs. 

Garnish each with two or three tablespoons whipped cream, and two pinches each of chipotle chili pepper and ground cinnamon. 

I hope you're keeping warm today!

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill