I learned how to make real hot chocolate this week from the Pioneer Woman*. I’ve made it twice, and have decided it’s the most wonderful thing. Her original recipe is here, complete with beautiful, in-action photos, but I will sum it up for you in 50 words or less:
Real Hot Chocolate
- 1 part half & half (don’t let it trouble you. So worth the calories.)
- 1 part milk (I used 1%)
- Semisweet chocolate chips (however many it takes to please you)
Heat liquids over the stove (don’t boil), then add chocolate and stir until melted.
Once you’ve got that down, you can tweak the recipe however you like. Today I added half chocolate chips and half peanut butter cups I got in my stocking at Christmas. Result: I will be doing it again tomorrow.
Upon making it the second time, I realized just how surprisingly easy it was. You typically think making something from scratch is time consuming, but I bet it took me five minutes from start to finish―just the time it takes to heat the liquids up. Hands-on time is less than two minutes. Wonderful recipe for beginners, and chocolate lovers everywhere.
UPDATE 1/1/12: My mom tried the recipe yesterday, and she thought it was missing something. She added a bit of vanilla and said it was just the thing. Let me know in the comments after you try it–What did you think? Did you add anything to the recipe? **
*If you’ve never heard of the Pioneer Woman, she’s a delight. I discovered her blog one Saturday morning while I was having coffee with my husband. I kept giggling and saying “I love this woman!” and feeling compelled to read aloud the funny things she wrote, each time promising my husband that would be the last one, I swear. If you want my advice, you should make some hot chocolate then go read her blog.
