Hot Cocoa for a Cold Day
I really enjoy a steaming mug of hot cocoa, especially when I’ve just come in from shoveling snow. I’ve discovered a simple technique that makes preparing it on the stove top much easier, and have taken to seasoning my cocoa with a tasty blend of spices.
I used to make hot cocoa by whisking my dry ingredients into hot milk. As much as I whisked, the cocoa powder would never seem to want to combine with the milk, opting instead to form a dust across the surface. Then it occurred to me, if the dry ingredients won’t mix with the wet, why not mix the wet with the dry? By putting the dry ingredients into the saucepan first and then whisking the milk into them, it makes the task of preparing the beverage much simpler. Everything combines neatly and you get a better result (no more lumps!)
Jesse’s Hot Cocoa Mix:
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.
To prepare (1-2 servings, depending on the size of your mugs):
Put 1/4 cup of cocoa mix into a saucepan. Set over medium heat and whisk two cups of milk into the mix. Add the milk slowly at first, but as the dry ingredients moisten, you can add it at a faster rate. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Top with marshmallows for a guaranteed smile.
January 11th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I hate to burst your bubble, but you haven’t really discovered a new and better method. Whisking the milk slowly into the dry mixture has always been the preferred way of mixing cocoa powder and sugar with milk. The only time you add the dry to the liquid is when you use an instant hot cocoa mix that is supposed to be mixed into hot milk. That cocoa powder is finer and blends readily into the milk.
Your spice blend doesn’t sound like something I’m willing to try. Guess I’m old-fashioned but I like plain cocoa and firmly believe that “if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it.”
For a quick cup of cocoa, I prefer the Penzy’s hot chocolate mix. It tastes great and I can just heat up a cup of milk in the microwave, add the mix, and enjoy. It also eliminates washing a pan.
January 12th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Eh, so what if it’s not brand new? I’m sure that I’m not the only one in the world who made instant cocoa for himself before I switched to the real deal, and therefore I hope that my ‘discovery’ as it were will be of assistance to others in my old shoes trying to blend cocoa powder into milk.
For a traditional cocoa mix, simply combine the cocoa and sugar, omitting the spices.
For a nice touch to any cocoa, add a dash of vanilla extract to the saucepan.