It’s December and it’s time to start hunkering down for the winter. It’s been unseasonably nice here in Minnesota this year which we have thoroughly enjoyed but it’s only a matter of time until the snow comes in all its vengeance.

Since we don’t drink coffee, we tend to be pretty particular about our hot chocolate. My wife keeps the good stuff up on the higher shelves and lets the kids drink the cheap stuff. We were out of eveything a few weeks ago so I took it upon myself to create some of our own. It’s become a favorite now and although it’s more expensive because it uses milk instead of water, it’s well worth it. Rich and creamy, it has deep flavor and is perfect for sipping on those cold winter days.

Hot Chocolate isn’t complete without marshmallows though. At least according to my wife. I prefer whipped cream personally. We’ve been wanting to make homemade marshmallows for some time though so I finally got to it and made some for our latest batch of cocoa. The great thing about these is that you can flavor them however you like. I added some fresh vietnamese cinnamon but you could also add pumpkin pie spice or any other flavoring that you like.

Hot Cocoa

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil!

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

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Foodplayer Linda

I am sure you love food. Otherwise, you won’t be here. As a full-time and a part-time chef at a local restaurant, I know my way around food. Ever since I was a young girl, I enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen.

We would often experiment with the spices, ingredients, and flavors and create great meals for my brothers and dad. Since cocking was my first passion, I decided to go in that direction. I finished culinary school, got my first job, and started developing my skills.

Later when kids came, I had all the liberty in the kitchen to combine some of the unique flavors. A lot of them were a success, but now and there I would make a couple of mistakes.