Mind Blowing Hot Chocolate

No really, it will totally change your life!

This is an odd recipe for me. It’s a drink recipe but it has no caffeine in it. I know, I’m blown away too. Every once in awhile, I get a craving for straight up hot chocolate, but that powdery stuff in a can just won’t satisfy my craving. I wanna drink chocolate sauce! So I got my brain moving and I came up with this idea. Just in case it turned out good, I decided to take pictures for you guys. Fortunately, it exceeded my expectations and then some!

As I said before, I wanna drink chocolate sauce, so for this particular craving, mere cocoa powder would not do. I needed to start with sweet, creamy milk chocolate. I added 2T. at first but it didn’t feel chocolatey to the very depths of my soul, so I added one more tablespoon and my inner sugar guardian angel told me I had made a wise choice.

Of course condensed milk is a must too since it’s the ultimate way to make something deliciously sweet and creamy. I use it in my fudge recipe so I thought using a bit of it in here would be an awesome addition to the chocolate. I also added a dash of vanilla for good measure since I read somewhere that vanilla brings out chocolate and chocolate wouldn’t taste near as good if chocolatiers didn’t add vanilla to it.

I did make one mistake however and I want to caution you. When making things, I often forget that I only have 2 hands. I had planned on melting the sugary concoction in the pan before adding in the milk, but when I turned the burner on, I realized that it wasn’t combining as well and I would probably be better off to just add the milk. Also, I decided to add in cornstarch for a little bit of thickener. I had to add the cornstarch to the remaining milk and whisk it in all while whisking what I already had in the saucepan. Not very simple for someone like me who has trouble walking and drinking coffee at the same time. In the final recipe, I’m going to recommend a way that makes it a lot easier and more cohesive so you don’t make a mess and almost burn the magic out of your hot chocolate.

I brought it to a low boil and I whisked….and I whisked…and then I whisked some more for about 7 minutes total.

After waiting a tiny eternity for it to cool down, I smiled as I sipped. It was sweet enough for me without having to add sweetener! That is like winning the lottery for someone like me. It satisfied my craving, and about halfway through, I had time to think “This would probably be incredible with a shot of espresso,” but I left my caffeinated dreams for the next morning as I sipped away.

You can use any milk you like- even heavy cream- but I decided on my unsweetened vanilla almond milk since that is what I had on hand. This recipe is obviously not dairy free and I am not either, but I really do not like the taste of real milk and I find I enjoy vanilla almond milk quite a lot. I think coconut milk would give this an awesome flavor too. Don’t be afraid to try it a bunch of different ways.

Thick, Creamy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 3 T. milk chocolate chips
• 2 T. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. milk, divided
• 3/4 -1 tsp. cornstarch

In a small saucepan, add in the first three ingredients along with half of the milk. Whisk the cornstarch into the remainder of the milk and set aside. Turn the burner on medium low heat and constantly whisk the mixture until it all combines and comes to a low boil. When it begins to boil, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and turn the burner to low. Continue to whisk for 5-8 minutes as it simmers. Remove from heat and pour into a mug and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to drink it. I learned this the hard way! To amp up the awesome factor, feel free to top it with marshmallows, cool whip, fudge sauce, or any other delicious colocate compatible toppings you can dream up. Happy sipping!