This is my original recipe from 2008.
HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE!
What's the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa? The base of hot chocolate is melted chocolate and the base of hot cocoa is... you guessed it, cocoa powder. This is a favorite recipe of many of my friends. Ah! Memories of hanging out around the fire pit in our back yard at night, sipping on this drink and talking about good things all come flooding back to me with every sip. It's definitely delicious so give it a try! I included ingredients for making 2 cups or a larger ingredients list for making an 8 cup batch. If you have more people then just double, triple, etc. the recipe until you have enough for everyone. When we have a crowd I make a stock pot of it (or put it in the crock pot) and people dip it out into their cups with a ladle. Sometimes the crock pot can actually get too hot, even on the warm feature, so I generally just use my stove top. INGREDIENTS FOR 2 CUPS: 1 1/2 cup of milk 3 oz. of chopped milk chocolate (your favorite brand) 1 tablespoon of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla 1/4th cup heavy cream
OR
INGREDIENTS FOR 8 CUPS:
6 cups of milk
12 oz. of chopped milk chocolate (your favorite brand)
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup heavy cream TOPPINGS: Whipped cream Cayenne pepper Chocolate syrup DIRECTIONS: Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Do not boil or scald the milk. Add the chopped chocolate and stir frequently until the melted chocolate is completely incorporated into the milk. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan and check to make sure all your chocolate has blended. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the sugar, vanilla and heavy cream until fully blended. Top with homemade* whipped cream. Sprinkle a pinch of cayenne pepper in the hot chocolate or chocolate syrup over the whipped cream to really make it the best cup you've ever tasted! TIP: *Homemade whipped cream is basically heavy cream and sugar whipped together until thick. Use 1/4th cup of sugar for every cup of cream.
