5 great hot chocolate recipes

Try these unique and easy hot cocoa recipes.

Photo Credit: Eun Jin Ping Audrey

Hot chocolate is a welcome treat on a cold fall or winter day. It's a classic delicacy loved by adults and children alike. There are many unique flavors and varieties of instant hot chocolate available in stores, but they can be quite expensive. You can make your own delicious hot cocoa for a fraction of what stores charge. Besides being less expensive, homemade hot cocoa is often richer and tastier than hot cocoa available in stores.

White chocolate has a rich, creamy flavor that is quite different from regular brown chocolate. The following recipe makes six delicious cups of creamy white hot chocolate. This unique drink will surprise and impress chocolate connoisseurs as well as those who prefer white chocolate to brown chocolate.

White Hot Cocoa

2 - 1 ounce squares of white baking chocolate

1 cup water

3 cups milk

White chocolate candy bar

Peppermint stick (optional)

Heat one cup of water and two 1 ounce squares of white baking chocolate while stirring constantly. Once the water and chocolate begin boiling, turn down the temperature, and allow it to simmer for approximately two minutes. Slowly stir in three cups of milk, and heat over a low flame until its warm. If desired, serve the drinks with a peppermint stick, and top them with white chocolate shavings.

You can easily make inexpensive ready-to-serve hot cocoa mix that's comparable to instant mixes sold in stores. This handy mix may be served hot or cold and it will keep in a cool dry location for many months.

Instant Cocoa Mix

4 cups powdered milk

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and sift the mixture four times. Store the mix in an airtight container. To make a delicious cup of steaming hot cocoa, heats a cup of water until its warm, and stir in approximately three tablespoons of mix.

The following is another version of classic hot chocolate mix. This version is somewhat richer and creamier than instant cocoa made exclusively with powdered milk, and it is comparable in taste to more expensive varieties.

Creamy Instant Hot Cocoa Mix

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) original flavor powdered coffee creamer

10-2/3 cups powdered milk

½ cup powdered sugar

1 pound instant cocoa mix

Combine the ingredients in a gallon size airtight storage container. To prepare a cup of hot cocoa, fill a mug halfway with cocoa mix, and fill the cup with warm water. Stir it until the ingredients are completely dissolved, and heat it in a microwave oven until it reaches the proper temperature for drinking.

You can also make flavored instant hot cocoa mix by replacing the powdered coffee creamer with flavored coffee creamers. Powdered creamers are available in many flavorful varieties such as French vanilla and hazelnut. Flavored coffee creamers make ordinary cocoa mix taste like more expensive name-brand cocoa.

Many people prefer the flavor of old-fashioned homemade hot chocolate over the instant variety. Although it isn't ready-to-serve, old-fashioned hot cocoa is very easy to make.

Old-fashioned Stove-Top Hot Cocoa

2-1/2 tablespoons cocoa

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup warm water

3 cups milk

Mix together the cocoa, sugar, and water in a medium-size saucepan over a low flame. Stir it until it boils, and slowly add the milk. Continue stirring until the cocoa mixture is warm enough to serve.

The next hot cocoa recipe is a must for peanut butter lovers. This creamy hot chocolate is bursting with peanut butter flavor, and it is very easy to make.

Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa

6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

4 tablespoons chocolate syrup

4 cups milk

Mix the chocolate syrup and peanut butter in a large saucepan. After it is thoroughly combined, gradually stir in the milk. Heat the mixture over a low flame while stirring constantly.

Consider serving any of these delicious hot cocoa beverages with cookies, cake, or your favorite pastry. For added color and appeal, the drinks may be topped with miniature marshmallows, chocolate shavings, and colored candy sprinkles if desired.

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