One of the things I love about the cooler autumn weather is the excuse to make and drink (of course) hot cocoa. A nice hot cup of cocoa seems like the perfect diversion on a cold rainy day. After a week of cold raining days, I finally made the effort to restock my hot cocoa making supplies (with all the baking I have been doing my chocolate stash was completely depleted). It took several batches with different ingredients and techniques in order to get the ratios correct for a perfectly decadent cup of cocoa. When I announced to my husband and son that I was going to run an errand to collect the ingredients needed to make hot cocoa, they both eagerly agreed to my plan. While daddy stayed home with baby sister, my son and I made the trip for cocoa making goodness.
I am a huge advocate of making things as chemical free as possible and my hot cocoa is no different. I start with quality organic semi sweet chocolate that I chop into tiny pieces. My son loves to help with this step by scooping the chopped chocolate into a bowl, which of course involves lots of tasting (he even let his baby sister have some tastes). Meanwhile, I have organic whole milk in a pan on the stove top which is heated until just steamy. I also have special hot cocoa cups and saucers which are reserved exclusively for hot cocoa! Between heating the milk and chopping the chocolate, the little mugs are prepared with a handful of homemade mini marshmallows (hot cocoa just is not the same without them), a job given to my son and more taste testing ensues. The marshmallows have to be made a day in advance which makes our hot cocoa endeavours even more involved and fun and delicious!
(To be continued …)