Hot Chocolate from Scratch - Tip of the Day

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Oct 15th 2009 @ 9:00AM

Cocoa may come in many flavors on the shelf, but making it yourself releases the true flavor.

Chocolate chips. Photo: =-.0=, Flickr.

Now's the time to heat up some liquid comfort, whether that be hot cocoa or hot chocolate. We might use the terms interchangeably, but they're not quite the same thing. The cocoa is a mix of powdered cocoa, while hot chocolate is just that -- chocolate that is melted with milk and sweetener.

Cooking Cocoa
To make up a mix from scratch, just take a cue from Martha Stewart and combine sugar, cocoa, salt and whole milk.
But for a much more decadent experience ...

Heaping Hot Chocolate
Cocoa is tasty, but nothing compares to the richness of melted chocolate. The Nibble has a super-handy how-to for newbies, but the magic comes in creating flavors. Pick through tasty dark chocolates, add a few mint-flavored chips or other perks to the mix and go nuts with the food processor. If there's any recipe that deserves experimentation, it's one that results in mugs of tasty hot chocolate waiting to warm you. And if the caffeine urges calls, just take a scoop or two of your preferred mix and throw it into your coffee for a truly indulgent morning.

We bet you'll never want to go back to chalky chocolate packets once you get started.

Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: cocoa, homemade cocoa, homemade hot chocolate, homemade hot cocoa, HomemadeCocoa, HomemadeHotChocolate, HomemadeHotCocoa, hot chocolate, hot cocoa, HotChocolate, HotCocoa