Who remembers playing outside in the snow as a kid? Sledding? Making Snowmen? Snowball fights? Just staying outside in the crisp, cold weather crunching through the snow until your cheeks were pink and your nose was froze? When it was finally time to go inside the perfect way to warm up was a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate. How did you top yours? Marshmallows? Whipped Cream? Or were you a purist, and drank yours with no garnish at all?
Growing up we had a really good homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. My mom had the recipe in an old church cookbook. It might have been my dad’s mom’s church cookbook, but I’m really not sure. I just remember that it was delicious. I made it a couple of years ago, and it was still good. But not as good as I remember. So I decided to create a new, easy, amazing Hot Chocolate.
I don’t know about you, but as an adult Hot Chocolate is a pretty big treat. My hot drinks tend to stay on the sensible side- coffee or tea. And if I’m craving Hot Chocolate, sometimes the powdered packet is just fine… but let’s face it, even the best powdered mixes aren’t that good. So, if you are going to have Hot Chocolate do yourself a favor, and make it a real treat. A rich, creamy, decadent (SPIKED) treat.
I love this recipe because it’s a little different. It features White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder. You get all of these delicious layers of chocolate and it’s not too sweet. It’s amazing on its own, but even better if you spike it with a little smoethin’ somethin’ it’s even better.
- Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate
- 1 bag (11oz) High Quality White Chocolate Chips
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
- 8 cups 1% Milk
- 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- A couple of drops of Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
In a heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, about half the milk, the cocoa powder, and whisk well to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir often and keep an eye on the heat, you don’t want to scald the milk. Once the chips are melted and everything is heated through, give it a taste test. Add more cocoa powder, milk, or vanilla as needed.
You can also make this in a crockpot. Follow the same directions, but over low heat stirring every 30 minutes. Once hot, switch to the warm setting.
Serve with marshmallows, whipped cream, or nothing at all in your favorite mug!
This is amazing and child friendly, as is. Now let’s make it adult friendly. Some of my favorite additions are – Candy Cane Infused Vodka (as made in a previous post), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?), Fireball (cinnamon and chocolate for a little extra spice), your favorite bourbon (bourbon and chocolate pair so well together), Rum Chata (for a more mild, extra creamy addition), Kahlua (for a mocha-type drink)….. the possibilities are really endless. Let me know what your favorite is!
My favorite? LOTS of marshmallows and a healthy glug of Maker’s Mark.
