I am the Queen of Cocoa! I love it. I love it. I love it. For years I have made it for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinners. It’s best served with buttery toast. This is a nice, chocolaty recipe that doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate with too much sugar. (Yes, there is such a thing as too sweet. It took me 25 years to learn that.) Usually I prefer to make it with nutmeg or cinnamon, topped with marshmallows, but Christmas means candy canes. This is the best dressed cocoa I know. Use the highest quality of ingredients for the best results. This recipe serves two.
To Make the Best Hot Cocoa Ever:
2 c milk (Whole tastes best, skim keeps you slim: you decide.)
3 T sugar
2 squares of 72 % dark chocolate
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 dash of cayenne
1 t vanilla extract
(If not serving with Candy Cane Whipped Cream, add 1/4 t either fresh nutmeg or cinnamon)
1. Heat milk over a medium flame. While it heats, chop chocolate as finely as you can. Add chocolate to warm milk and whisk until combined.
2. Add sugar, cocoa powder, cayenne. Stir and taste. The pepper really brings out the chocolate flavor and adds a depth of flavor. If you are making this with skim milk, you may need a touch more sugar. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
To Make Candy Cane Whipped Cream:
1. Place a few candy canes in a food processor or coffee grinder. Or you can pound them out in a baggie. Grind until they are a fine powder.
5 seconds later:
Whip heavy cream for about 4 minutes, until soft peaks form. Add a few spoonfuls of candy cane powder. Whip to combine. Top your cocoa and garnish with a candy cane. Enjoy!
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