"hot chocolate" news and stories

Winter got you down? A mug of Marcus Sameulsson's Spiked Hot Chocolate will lift your spirits. This isn't just any hot chocolate -- it's made with rich coconut milk, fresh vanilla beans, cinnamon and nutmeg. For adults, he adds a splash of fragrant dark rum. You'll be feeling warmer in no time.

Get Marcus' Spiked Hot Chocolate recipe.

Have you been down the aisle of the supermarket where hot chocolate mixes live lately? We have, and were flabbergasted by the sheer number of brands, flavors and cacao origins that have popped up over the years. What else could we do? It was time for a hot chocolate taste test.

More than 50 brands began piling up on our desks -- we purchased every supermarket brand we could find in the tri-state area, along with best-selling brands in major stores like Williams-Sonoma and Crate and Barrel, to boutique shops that sell their cocoas online.

To be fair, all cocoas were tested to their exact instructions -- whether that be in a microwave or over the stove and made with water or milk. As an editor's note, when we tested mixes with milk, we used skim milk.

After the jump, our top eight cocoas in the following categories: Best spicy, white chocolate, flavored with milk, best instant with water, best instant with water and marshmallows, best chocolate mint, best classic and best expensive brand cocoas.

Luxurious and creamy, homemade hot cocoa is a step up from the instant powder we turn to so often during the winter months.

Inspired by a main character in a book who ordered hot chocolate at a ski chalet, the author of this recipe heated half and half until it started to boil then poured it over broken pieces of dark chocolate. Chocolate shavings top this decadent brew. While not as "instant" as its counterpart, the velvety texture of the chocolate mixed with the milk are well worth the wait.

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What makes chocolate so addictive?

Chocolate contains a variety of substances, which definitely have an effect on the mind or body chemistry. These include compounds like theobromine, the primary alkaloid in cocoa and chocolate also stimulates the heart and has many therapeutic uses.

People associate the "chocolate high" with the theobromine content, which oddly enough has a stronger biochemical effect for horses and is normally banned in horse racing since it's considered to give them a competitive edge.

Tryptophane, an essential amino acid and precursor to serotonin, that most people associate with turkey, can also be found in chocolate. Tryptophane can help to calm and relax the body, but I like chocolate simply for the fact that it's an easy way to spoil yourself! Get my recipe for Mexican hot chocolate after the jump.

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