In anticipation of the “megastorm,” Seattle’s blizzard of 2012, lines wrapped around the corner at the checkout counter in the grocery store, cars jostled for non-existent parking spaces, and customers had that scared-as-a-rabbit-caught-in-the-crosshairs look in their eyes. Far be it from me to taunt Mother Nature particularly when weatherman uses terms like “worst blizzard in decades” in his forecast. Like everyone else, I filled my cart with all the goodies one might desire while snowbound in Seattle for a couple days. As I drove home, peeking out of the top of my shopping bag, were a couple of extra snazzy ingredients that will find their way into a steaming cup or two of hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate is high on my list of cold weather comfort food and drink classics, and when snow is in the forecast, you just can’t go wrong with a beefed up mug of creamy, chocolaty goodness. There are an infinite number of ways one can prepare this drink, and I confess it’s hard to narrow it all down into one post.
First I should point out that hot cocoa and hot chocolate are a wee bit different from one another: hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, whereas hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate. I like both, and each has its time and place. Convenient instant cocoa in a packet is great for those moments when you have to have a cuppa cocoa—now, and DIY hot chocolate made from a chocolate bar is for those days when you’ve got nothing but time on your hands, time to sit and watch the snow fall. Of course, there’s a huge range of possibilities in between.
SnowmyGod! Our hot chocolate was one tricked out bowl of decadence, befitting the “significant weather event” that is Seattle Snowpocalypse 2012. I served it soup-style, with a Nirvana chocolate snowman who stood proudly, albeit briefly, in the middle. The second the hot cocoa landed in the bowl, he fell face down and immediately melted. He was surrounded by a flurry of mini-marshmallows, a sprinkling of candy snowflakes, and a candy cane stir stick. Bonus: I scored the tru sweets organic candy canes and snowmen for a post-holiday (and pre-snowstorm) 75%-off steal! And I suppose I should also fess up to the splash or two of Rumple Minze liquor that found its way into the mix.
Snowzilla’s not going to scare me, at least not while I’m sittin’ tight and sippin’ cocoa. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
To get you started, two recipes follow. I’ve also offered up several creative variations on the theme, including clever toppings and mix-ins to customize your cocoa that will thrill both children and adults alike.
Hot Cocoa Recipe (serves 4)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use good quality cocoa like Scharffen Berger or Droste)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 4 cups whole milk
- Whipped Cream or mini-marshmallows…or other topping
- Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; add half and half.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
- Simmer 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to desired serving temperature. Do NOT let the milk boil.
- Remove cocoa from heat; whisk or beat until frothy. Top with whipped cream or marshmallows.
Hot Chocolate Recipe (serves 4)
- 1 quart half-and-half or whole milk
- 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
- tiny pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Warm about one-third of the half-and-half or milk, with the chopped chocolates and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted.
- Whisk in the remaining half-and-half or milk, heating until the mixture is warmed through. Add the cinnamon.
- Use a hand-held blender, or a whisk, and mix the hot chocolate until it’s completely smooth. Serve very warm
Variations:
- Got milk? You can make your hot cocoa/chocolate with water but it will be much richer and tastier with milk. It doesn’t have to be whole milk (but, heck, live it up once in awhile!) and, depending on your dairy tolerance, you can make your cocoa with soy, almond or rice milk. And I’ve heard of at least one person who likes to spike hers with Eggnog over the holidays.
- Chocolate fix? You can chop the chocolate with a good chef’s knife, grate it with a microplane or a handheld box grater, or use chocolate chips or the mini-cooking disks that can be found in many grocery stores or cooking stores. Or you can make your hot chocolate with round Mexican chocolate disks (some of which are also flavored with cinnamon, chile or vanilla) Of course there are infinite possibilities for the chocolate you use.
- Add-ins? How about melting a spoonful of creamy peanut butter or Nutella, tossing in a tablespoon of butterscotch chips or crushed peppermint candies, plopping on a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate, caramel or even maple syrup, or sprinkling an array of colored sugar crystals (I used India Tree Gourmet Spices Snowflakes), mini-M&Ms or crushed toffee bits over the top. Another nifty winter warmer idea is to add a dusting of cinnamon and hot pepper.
- Stir sticks? Try cinnamon sticks, chocolate coated spoons, flavored straws or oh-so-classic candy canes.
- Don’t forget marshmallows. You can buy the standard mallow puffs which, these days, can also be found in groovy shapes and flavors like French vanilla snowmen. Or you can scout out vegan marshmallows (like the Dandies brand I bought at Central Co-op/Madison Market). And, you can even make your own.
- Want a little adult kick in your cocoa? Try adding a shot of espresso or flavored liquor such as Amaretto, Kahlua, Bailey’s, Grand Marnier or anything minty will take your drink up a notch.
Want a flurry of more deliciousness? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday.
