Delicious Hot Chocolate Recipes

Hot chocolate is one of those winter treats that can be dressed up for the holidays.

Depending upon what ingredients you choose to add, hot chocolate can become a children's drink or an adult's secret feast.

It's a pretty sure bet that a hot cup of chocolate can soothe the nerves and deliver a welcome respite from a hectic routine.

We will start with a basic hot chocolate recipe, and then explore adding special ingredients to build a unique, one-of-a-kind taste!

What are your favorite drink flavors?

Here are your ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of milk (Use whole milk and nothing else, the fat is necessary to making this drink successful!)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

  5 ounces of milk chocolate chopped for easier melting (Use a good quality like Ghiradelli.)

• The sweetness will be found in the sweet milk chocolate. If you choose to use a dark or semi-sweet chocolate you may need to add sugar to taste
• Don't forget a pinch of salt with the added sugar.

Here are your utensils:

• measuring cup
• small sauce pan
• whisk
• mugs

Here are your directions:

1. Place the milk and cream into the sauce pan and the sauce pan over a medium heat. Allow the mixture to heat until it simmers (DO NOT BOIL), about 4 mins.
2. Whisk in the chocolate until it is blended and melted into the liquid. Takes about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the mixture into the waiting cups. Makes two servings.

• Don't worry of you don't have a bag of mini-marshmallows on hand. Large marshmallows can be cut into smaller pieces to accommodate the mug and the mouth.

• Try flavored marshmallows in the basic hot chocolate recipe or match the flavors of the drink with the marshmallow. For instance, try a peppermint flavored marshmallow and peppermint hot chocolate together. Or, try a maple flavored marshmallow with a vanilla flavored hot chocolate drink.

Add a classic holiday taste to a basic hot chocolate recipe.

• When melting the chocolate into the cream and milk, add 2 or 3 peppermint candies per serving to the mixture (4 to 6 for the two-serving recipe we have given you.)

• Crush the candy for easy and fast melting before placing it into the sauce pan. ( a mortar and pestle is a great tool for this task.)

• Add a peppermint stick to each mug, and then pour the peppermint flavored hot chocolate into the mug.

• For an extra visual punch and added flavor, top with whipped cream.

• Yum!

Warning! This is an adult drink.

Again, I repeat, this is an alcoholic drink. Do not give this to children.

Spice up the hot chocolate for your adult guests by adding a favorite liquer such as Amaretto.

Here's How:

1. Make the basic hot chocolate recipe and remove from the stove.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of amaretto to the mixture and whisk.
3. Pour the hot chocolate immediately into mugs.
4. Add whipped cream as a topping and maybe some chocolate shavings.
5. Serve to guests.

In a hurry and don't have time to melt and mix?

Try a pre-made hot chocolate mix. It's an easy, fast way to get your chocolate fix.

Ghiradelli makes some excellent mixes.

TRY THIS

If you want a bit more of a flavor boost from your mix, try melting a square or two of your favorite dark chocolate right in your cup.

Want a vanilla flavor? Add 4 or 5 drops of vanilla extract to the mix before pouring into cups. Make sure you stir to get a well-blended drink.

You can also use peppermint, almond or hazelnut extracts to enhance or add flavor to your hot chocolate.

TRY THIS

Extracts are a great way to spruce up the flavor of all kinds of drinks, cooking, and baking, and they're a relatively inexpensive choice, too. I've used extracts to flavor bland protein drinks to great success.

TIP

Organic extracts are typically less flavorful than traditional extracts. Just saying.