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What’s better than a huge mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter day? Absolutely nothing!
The older I get, the less impressed I am with store-bought packets of hot chocolate. They don’t have a ton of flavor, and have you looked at the ingredients?! For the last year or so I’ve been reading the ingredients on EVERYTHING I buy, and I have to say, I’m appalled 95% of the time.
Even though hot cocoa is not a healthy treat, I still want to keep it as clean as possible. In my experience, it’s easier to keep things cleaner if you make them yourself. It was fun experimenting with some different ingredients, but I finally found the perfect recipes for rich, delicious homemade hot chocolate.
What is hot cocoa without marshmallows? It’s nothing. Lucky for you, I also have a recipe for scrumptious, easy homemade marshmallows.
I try to stay away from dairy as much as I can, so I’ve tried this recipe with whole milk, coconut milk, and almond milk. All of them are equally delicious!
Homemade Cinnamon Hot Cocoa
Ingredients
- 2 C milk I prefer whole, but any milk alternative works well
- 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in 30 second increments. You want them mostly melted, but it’s ok if there are some chunks still.
- Keep an eye on the milk, and once it starts to bubble a bit on the sides, turn off the heat. You do NOT want the milk to boil. If you have a candy thermometer, make sure to turn the heat off before the milk reaches 180 Fahrenheit. Another good way to tell it’s done is to see if it steams once you turn off the heat. Steam is good!
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and melted chocolate chips and whisk until completely combined.
- Serve with a ladle and top with my easy homemade marshmallows.
It’s really as simple as that, ladies and gents! You can store leftovers in the fridge for a few days. I’d just recommend heating it on the stove again so you can avoid boiling the milk.
Enjoy!