There is nothing better than hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day. And now that Thanksgiving is officially out of the way, the weather here is already starting to cool down. I actually had to have my heater on last night and everything! So, of course, that means that it’s officially time for hot chocolate!!
While I simply adore hot chocolate, I’ve actually never been a fan of the pouches of hot chocolate, as I end up with really watery hot chocolate in my giant mugs. But two packages seems like a waste. While buying the cans of hot chocolate are a good solution, it always just tastes a little fake to me… not very chocolatey at all! So, of course, I prefer to make my own hot chocolate on the stove top!
You’ll find my recipe below, but keep in mind this is for one glass; you’ll have to increase it if you have multiple people, or different sized glasses. Hot chocolate is really a to-taste thing, so feel free to modify it slightly to suit your own tastes, and experiment!
- 3 Tbsp baking cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- pinch cinnamon (optional)
- ½ cup cream or half and half
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- water or milk*
- whipped cream or marshmallows for topping
- Whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, cinnamon (if using), and cream in a small saucepan on low heat until dissolved. Add the milk or water and heat on medium, stirring constantly until it's hot.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour in a glass and add whipped cream and/or marshmallows
Of course, you can also use real chocolate in your cocoa, and it is absolutely decadent, but a little unhealthy so I don’t do it quite as often. However, if you want to do that, instead of cocoa powder, then here are the steps:
- Grate 4 baking squares of chocolate (milk or dark)
- Add 2 1/4 tsp cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and sugar, to taste (I use about 2 tsp)
- Mix it all together, and sub in above recipe in place of the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt mixture.
- Keep in mind you may have to increase cook time slightly and you’ll need to stir constantly, scraping sides so it doesn’t burn. Watch your heat, too!
If you want to change things up a little with either recipe, you can add some peppermint extract at the same time as the vanilla (or instead) or any number of other flavors. Personally, I prefer boring regular chocolate—it’s just so yummy! Try it with some homemade cookies, and you’re in old-fashioned heaven!
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