It's grey outside and cozy indoors; we have officially gotten to my favorite part of the year. The cold air causes me to have an incredible craving for creamy and rich hot chocolate almost daily. This is no knock against those hot chocolate balls that became so popular on Tik Tok this year (they really are impressive), but that seems like way too much work for my hot chocolate needs. I need it to be as smooth as possible while also being something I can whip up quickly. This checks all those boxes. I may try making those at some point, but this recipe is much more realistic. I can almost guarantee this will be the smoothest cocoa you have all season; give it a try.
Ingredients
8oz or 225ml milk of any kind
1 tbsp or 17g sugar
1 tbsp or 17g cocoa powder (I like Guittard Cocoa Rouge)
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp or 1.5g vanilla extract
oz or 30ml of cognac (optional)
For One Serving
Grab your favorite holiday mug and add your sugar and cocoa powder to the cup. Add 1 oz of milk to the dry mixture and stir to form a smooth paste. From there add another 1 oz of milk, mixing as you go. After this point, you are good to add the rest of the milk. This process creates a smooth, lump-free mix (always my issue with hot cocoa recipes).
Microwave the cocoa on high for one and a half minutes, mixing every thirty seconds. Add your salt, vanilla extract, and optional cognac.
For Multiple Servings
We will make this on the stove in a medium saucepan. Start by creating a dry mix of cocoa powder and sugar, based on how many servings you need. Add 1 oz of milk per serving to the dry mix create a smooth paste (same as before).
Add 7 oz of milk per serving to the saucepan and warm over medium heat. Heat till the milk is almost simmering, and add the chocolate paste. Turn off the flame and whisk together until smooth. Season the cocoa with salt and vanilla extract. and then pour it equally into separate mugs. Add cognac into mugs as desired (or necessary based on your family).
Cheers!
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