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12/11/21 12/11/21

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate

Do you have any family Christmas traditions?

One of our favorite family activities is driving around to see Christmas lights each year. Sometimes we stay close by and others, we’ll drive quite a ways. But the outcome is always the same – we create lasting moments with our family that we will always remember.

Now, Christmas light viewing isn’t complete without having a cup of warm hot chocolate in your hands. Before we leave the house, I’ll make my super easy homemade hot chocolate recipe. This stuff is delicious, y’all.No, it’s not as easy as just opening up a packet and adding some hot water, but it is so creamy and delicious that you’ll never want to go back to the packets if you can help it.So whether it’s an evening of driving around in the car or a day spent opening up presents, this recipe is one the kids and kids at heart in your family will love. And make sure to include a few toppings for each person to make it their own.

What Toppings Go Well With Hot Cocoa?

The amount of toppings are endless when it comes to what you can put on your hot coca. Some of my favorite toppings include: marshmallows, toffee bits, coarse sea salt, mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermints, candy canes, soft peppermint sticks, whoppers, Lindt truffles, pirouette cookies, whipped cream, dark chocolate syrup, and caramel sauce.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup hot water
20 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate
10 cups whole milk (or 2%)
2 ½ cups half and half
1 12 ounces can evaporated milk (not fat-free)
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

Stove Top Instructions

Add the water and cocoa powder to a large stock pot and whisk until mixed.
To the cocoa mixture, add the chopped chocolate, milk, half and half, evaporated milk, and salt.
Heat over medium heat until the chocolate is melted, stirring periodically.

Slow Cooker Instructions

Start by adding the cocoa powder to a bowl, pour in the hot water, and whisk until mixed.
Add the cocoa mixture along with the chopped chocolate, milk, half and half, evaporated milk, and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker or larger. If you're serving this with a hot chocolate bar and toppings, consider leaving out the sugar to avoid the hot chocolate being too sweet. If you're serving the hot chocolate solo, add in the sugar.
Cook the hot chocolate on the high setting for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours. Low for 6 hours is what I prefer. Make sure to stir the hot chocolate every hour to keep the chocolate from settling to the bottom.
Keep on the warm setting if you're serving it hot chocolate bar style with toppings on the side. Leftover hot chocolate can be refrigerated for up to one week and warmed in the microwave before serving.

beverage, Drinks

American

hot chocolate, hot cocoa

More Christmas Recipes You'll Love

Candy Cane Christmas Cake Roll Meringue Trees Hot Chocolate Monkey Bread With Marshmallows

Thank With Google

If you’ve been a reader for a while, then you’ve noticed something new here at the bottom of each blog post. I’ve gotten the awesome opportunity of being a part of an experiment pilot feature called Thank with Google. I’m excited to be one of Google’s paid early testers and get to tell you more about this new project from Google. What is Thank with Google? Thank with Google is a way for my fans/readers to support me and show their appreciation for certain posts through the purchase of a virtual sticker. It’s a fun and interactive way for my fans to connect with me and show me appreciation for my work. And I love the personal notes that can be included with the paid stickers as well. You can find the new Thank with Google feature floating at the bottom of the page here or on the sidebar (if you’re using a desktop). Please feel free to test it out and let me know what you think!

6/12/21 6/12/21

S'more Cones

Hello, my name is Stacy and I’m a chocaholic.

This is not something I’m proud of necessarily, but hey, it’s who I am! I love any form of chocolate I can get – except for that disgusting stuff they try to pull off as real chocolate – “white chocolate”. Yuck.So naturally, any recipe that has chocolate in it is okay in my book. Chocolate chip cookies, brownies, tarts, cannolis, and even cocoa powder used as a seasoning for steak – I’ll try it all. But the best way to use chocolate?S’mores.

S’mores have a bit of nostalgia attached to them, don’t they? You can probably remember the first time you had one, or maybe a camping trip where you set many a marshmallow ablaze over an open campfire. But while simple in nature, there are many different ways to enjoy a s'more.The one I’m going to show you today is a less mess version of that roasted marshmallow classic. In this recipe for s’mores cones, waffle cones are stuffed full with chocolate pieces and marshmallows, wrapped in aluminum foil, and put in a heat source.Now, I say “heat source” because these have been known to have been made in an oven, on a grill, and even over a campfire with a stick protruding out of them. Think of them as the fancier cousin of the traditional s’more.In theses s’more cones, you get all the delicious flavors of a traditional cone – but in a neat, compact package. They’re perfect for backyard barbecues, family movie nights, while camping under the stars, or when you just need a sweet treat on a weekday evening.What I also like about this recipe is that you can use any different type of chocolate that you have – Hershey bars, Reese’s peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, snickers, etc. You can even add peanut butter to the inside of the cone to make it even heartier of a dessert.Ready to try them for yourself? Let’s get to it!

S’mores Cone Recipe

In this recipe for s’mores cones, waffle cones are stuffed full with chocolate pieces and marshmallows, wrapped in aluminum foil, and put in a heat source.

Waffle cones
Mini marshmallows
Your favorite type of chocolate

Fill the waffle cone with mini marshmallows and chocolate pieces.
Wrap in aluminum foil.
Place on a grill and cover for 2 minutes, flip at the 1 minute mark.
Remove with tongs and let cool.
Unwrap foil and remove cone.

If making on a campfire, wrap the end of a s'mores stick in with the cone with foil. Rotate in the fire for a couple minutes.

If making in an oven, turn your oven onto 400 degrees and place the foil-wrapped cones on a baking sheet. Allow to cook for 1 minute and then flip the cones to the other side and cook for another minute.

Dessert, Snack