Decadent Hot Chocolate | America's Test Kitchen

Okay, raise your hand if you don't like hot chocolate.

If you raised your hand, then why are you here.

And if you don't know that hot chocolate and cocoa are the same, join the club me neither. Wellll, ok, I wasn't that extreme.

I just never called it hot chocolate.

But since the recipe below (from America's Test Kitchen) called it hot chocolate, I will too. Besides, everyone where I live calls it hot chocolate, so why not blend in with the crowd? And really you have to admit that hot chocolate sounds much more richer than COCOA. Cocoa reminds me of this watery brown mixture that you manage to swallow in as little time as possible, burning your throat on the way down, that's so bland you don't even know why you like it so much. It's just because you don't want to add more and you don't want to pour it out after wasting about five spoons of the stuff that it's bland, though.

Yeah, that stuff.

Really, it was just because I was such a terrible penny-pincher and cocoa-mix-pincher. I just wanted to ration it properly so that the mix would last for weeks and weeks!

...and at the rate I was going, it would.

Anyway, last Sunday we made this and it was really really delicious.

Rich, creamy, sweet enough for me (I don't like bland, bitter, or not-sweet -- exception: black coffee -- so basically, in a few words: I don't like hot chocolate. Cocoa. Whichever it is that's not sweet normally), but not too sweet -- now there's a picture-perfect cup of hot chocolate!

Also, it has only a couple ingredients (win!), all of which you should be able to find in your house, even when the house is stripped bare of anything close to resembling edible-ness (double win!). Another thing, few ingredients means fewer dishes (triple win!).

Win win (or winwinwin) for all of us, emiright.

And all you need is a saucepan, lid, spatula, measuring stuff, ingredients, and a stove to make it. Easy!

So, to make this creamy, lucious, delightful, satisfying, fullfilling, refreshing, fills all your senses, delicious, mouth watering, you will fall in love, fruity tooty, tangy, tasteful, sweet, a pinch of lemon, tempting, dangerous drink *gasp of breath* follow the directions below. 

(sorry! I just saw this, and thought maybe it could be used to describe hot chocolate! Besides, "fruity tooty" is a fun word, especially when used to describe hot chocolate!)

Note: this is not America's Test Kitchen's exact recipe... I've changed it a little bit. I will probably not post the original, but you can probably find it online. 

Serves:  4
Time (start to finish):  10m, fast

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c milk (not precise)
• 1/2 c heavy cream (not precise -- just throw some in)
• 1 T cocoa powder (not sweet)
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips (I throw in a big handful)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put in milk, cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in pan. Once hot, and looking puffy on the top, turn off the heat. Really, it doesn't need to look puffy, it just needs to be hot. Ask yourself if you would be comfortable drinking it the way it is...if you let it cool off a little bit? If so, you're ready for the next step. It DOES NOT need to boil -- just until it's steaming or a few degrees above what you're willing to pour down your throat. Just make sure it's not uncomfortably so. Your throat, though.
2. Once you've turned off the heat, put in the chocolate chips and the vanilla. Cover immediately after that so that the chocolate doesn't stick to the bottom.
3. Let chips melt about 1 min, then whisk smooth before serving.
4. When done, top with whipped cream and plop a candy cane in, for looks, or serve plain and