Delicious Hot Chocolate

Print Recipe Posted by Ree in All PW Recipes, Chocolate

I love hot chocolate and really can?t be trusted around it.

Here are a few varieties I whipped up recently.

(If you?d like a late-afternoon/adult version, splash brandy or other booze into any of the varieties below.)

(But you didn?t hear that from me.)

BASIC HOT CHOCOLATE

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Add 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of half-and-half to a small saucepan. As you can see, this wasn?t my first batch of hot chocolate that day.

As I said, can?t be trusted.

Oh, and I?m sorry about the whole half-and-half thing. But delicious hot chocolate is my life, and half-and-half is one of the more direct routes to hot chocolate.

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Warm the milk mixture over medium-low heat, then add a cup of good semi-sweet chocolate chips.

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Stir it around, making sure it doesn?t get too hot?and that?s it for the basic hot chocolate concoction! If it?s too chocolatey for you, splash in 1/2 cup to a cup more milk. If it?s not quite sweet enough for you, add about 1 teaspoon of sugar and even a little vanilla extract.

I love hot chocolate using chocolate chips. Even though it melts and becomes part of the milk, there are also very small particles of chocolate throughout. Packs a punch.

ORANGE HOT CHOCOLATE

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To make orange hot chocolate, drop 3 or 4 strips of orange rind into the milk mixture before you begin warming it. Let it stay in there the whole time you make the hot chocolate.

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I also took a walk on the wild side and dropped in a couple of slices of orange. I like to live dangerously.

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Then just add the chocolate chips and heat it until it melts. Remove the orange slices along the way, but keep the orange peel in there.

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Serve in a mug with a piece of fresh orange rind just to make it purty.

RASPBERRY HOT CHOCOLATE

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To make raspberry hot chocolate, drizzle a few tablespoons of raspberry syrup (the kind you?d find at a coffee shop) into the saucepan after the chocolate is melted.

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Mmmm. See what I mean about the particles? Oh, and drop in three or four raspberries, just for kicks.

MINT HOT CHOCOLATE

No photo, but get this: Drop 1 or 2 miniature peppermint patties into each mug before ladling in the hot chocolate. Stir to melt?divine!

(You could also add a couple of drops of mint extract?but the peppermint patty approach is a little more decadent.

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

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Have you seen this? Do you have it at your supermarket?

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It?s Abuelita hot chocolate: tablets of a mixture of chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon?designed to be dropped into hot milk. It?s so incredibly delicious. Look for it in the Hispanic Foods aisle!

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You can either break the wedges and add them to individual cups of warm milk or you can drop the whole disc into the saucepan.

This ain?t no paid advertisement. I just love the stuff, man.

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Abuelita already has cinnamon in it, but I went ahead and added a couple of cinnamon sticks just to drive the point home.

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Just stir it around as it heats; this is the halfway mark. Abuelita is really meant to be whisked, which creates a nice froth on top. But I was too lazy to walk across the kitchen and get one.

(Note: If you can?t find Abuelita, just follow the basic hot chocolate recipe above, adding four or five cinnamon sticks and a couple of teaspoons of sugar.)

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Once it?s all melted and smooth, ladle into mugs and serve with a new cinnamon stick.

My name is Pioneer Woman. And I like hot chocolate.

Hope you?re having a great holiday, everyone!

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Prep Time: 5 Minutes �|� Cook Time: 15 Minutes �|� Difficulty: Easy �|� Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups Milk
• 2 cups Half-and-half
• 1 cup Good Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)
• VARIATIONS: Orange Rind, Orange Syrup, Cinnamon Sticks, Raspberry Syrup, Abuelita Chocolate, Mint Extract, Peppermint Patties, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Shavings

Preparation Instructions

To make the basic hot chocolate, combine milk with half-and-half in a small saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, then stir in chocolate chips. Stir until melted (though there will still be lovely particles of chocolate throughout.) If it's too chocolatey for you, splash in a little more milk. If it's not quite sweet enough for you, add 1 teaspoon sugar. Serve in mugs with whipped cream.

VARIATIONS

Orange Hot Chocolate: Add 4 slices of orange rind as you warm the milk mixture. Add a splash of orange syrup if you have it, but it isn't necessary.

Raspberry Hot Chocolate: Add 3 tablespoons raspberry syrup to the hot chocolate. Drop a couple of raspberries into each cup.

Mint Hot Chocolate: Drop 1 to 2 miniature peppermint patties into each mug before adding hot chocolate. Stir to melt.

Mexican Hot Chocolate: Substitute 2 discs of Abuelita chocolate for the chocolate chips. Simmer cinnamon sticks in the saucepan with the hot chocolate. Add 1 cinnamon stick to each mug before serving.

Garnish any and all variations with whipped cream or chocolate shavings.

Posted by Ree on December 26 2011

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pwcooks/~3/LxS6cZ-3XJU/

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