A friend of mine called and said she was going to swing by on Wednesday night. I asked her if she was literally swinging by, or if she had time to come in for a cup of hot chocolate.
I offered the hot chocolate proverbially, thinking I would make a pot of decaf coffee, or offer her some egg nog. But she got so excited over the specific mention of hot chocolate, I feared that decaf coffee with fat-free creamer would probably be a letdown for her.
I have many wonderful memories of my mom making a mug of hot chocolate for me when I was growing up, and I am never without the makings in my pantry…the makings being those little packets of the powdered stuff, that is...just like my mom used.
Although I know my friend wouldn’t have thought a thing about it (she’s definitely a “come on to the back door, I’ll leave it open for you”-kind of friend), I hated to be pressing out the chocolatey-powdered lumps against the side of a microwaved mug when she walked in the door.
A quick internet search revealed there is such a thing as homemade hot chocolate…who knew???
I am kidding, of course (well, mostly…). I knew there was such a thing as homemade hot chocolate, but – outside of my friendly Starbucks – I don’t think I’d ever had any.
I found an easy recipe using basic ingredients, and I whipped up this little treasure in less than 15 minutes:
In a large saucepan, mix 4 cups milk (I used whole milk), 8 teaspoons sugar and 4 teaspoons cocoa powder (I went a little heavy on the sugar and cocoa), and 1 ½ cups of miniature marshmallows. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally (I used a wire whisk every minute or so), until the marshmallows are melted. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (next time I might try peppermint extract!) and ladle into cups.
I topped our cups with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Delish!!!
While I don’t think I’ll abandon the convenience of those powdery packets of chocolatey goodness for myself, I try to avoid processed foods with the girls. (Yes, I know marshmallows are processed…but it’s all relative in my book.)
I’m looking forward to incorporating this easy recipe into my Mommy Handbook, sharing foamy cups of hot chocolate with A and B, and hopefully making some great memories that they will treasure as they have pantries of their own.
Ticker
10 comments:
I love that "it's all relative." Yeah, BC I used to make hot chocolate from scratch too…I just bought cold stone creamery's hot cocoa mix which the guy swore was 'very european' and way better than swiss miss. Let's see…….
for some reason your blog won't stay on my blogroll -- you're listed but not on my main page, and i'm not computer savvy enough to put the time into figuring it out .... but i will ..... and i still check in here : )
the hot chocolate mention has been craving it, think the girls will be surprised for breakfast : )
Thanks so much for the real hot chocolate! You played it off so well, I had no idea you'd just found the recipe on the internet right before I came over. Like everything that comes out of the Emedi kitchen, it was DELICIOUS!
Love this and I love the comment from Karen above.....too funny! :)
i have a "hot chocolate pot" by le creuset (i can't find the link for you--i wonder if they don't make it anymore). b also made thomas jefferson's hot chocolate recipe in it a few times. it was good. i LOVE marshmallows though, so i might have to try the above recipe when i'm out of swiss miss. ;)
If you have many more "back door friends," people will start talking!
I love love love this idea. I am so *over* processed foods and it's great to see new ideas!
Did you know you can make your own marshmallows too? I'll expect a report next time someone hits your back door ;)
Yum! Can we be neighbors? I love the idea of a back-door neighbor. : )
It is so worth it to make your own -- at least from time to time. I made it for my husband last year and I think he fell in love with me all over again. He insisted that it become a Christmas tradition at our house. :)
Can I just say YUM!!!! Thanks for sharing. It's starting to get cold around here so we will whip up a batch for sure!
That does sound delicious! I just need the mini-marshmallows, and we'll be in business. :o)
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