Baby It’s Cold Outside!

Anyone else feeling the chill? Here on the East Coast we are getting slammed by Mother Nature with freezing temps and a ridiculous amount of snow. What better way to deal with the frigid weather than by staying inside and cuddling with a nice, piping hot cup of HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE? Seriously, you need to try this. Do not go into your cabinet and pull out a packet of hot chocolate mix, heat some water up, and serve. This recipe is just way too easy and way too good not to try.

***WARNING*** Once you’ve tried it you will be hooked. It is just that amazing! ***WARNING***

Okay, so I’ve tried this two way and both are crazy good. The first involves chocolate chips and is very rich. The second uses powdered hot chocolate mix and is very creamy. I think the second way is my favorite. I ended up experimenting with the powder because I made this for a party and bought a nifty Brew Station in hopes that it would not only keep the hot chocolate hot, but it would also be easy to dispense. Little ones love this stuff, but I am not a fan of them reaching over a hot crockpot to get this liquid gold. It didn’t work out as planned due to thickness.  It completely clogged the filter. On the way home that night I started thinking of a better way to make this for a party without using a crockpot. That lead to my idea with using chocolate powder. Using the chocolate powder with the brew station worked pretty well, but I still needed to remove the small filter at the bottom of the reservoir.  That worked like a charm.

I know, I know. Get to the recipe already. Fine! Here it is –

Ingredients:

Rich Version:

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

6 cups 1% milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups of chocolate chips (If you like it sweeter go with milk chocolate)

Creamy Version (Brew Station):

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

6 cups 1% milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 ½ cups of chocolate powder

Directions:

Rich Version (Crockpot):

-Turn crockpot on low

-Add heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, milk, and vanilla to the crockpot and whisk together until well blended

-Add in chocolate chips and stir

-Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until chocolate chips are melted, stirring occasionally

-Whisk mixture well before serving

Creamy Version (Brew Station):

-Grab a medium/large pot and place over medium heat

-Add heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, milk, and vanilla to the pot and whisk together until well blended

-Add in chocolate powder and whisk away until mixture is well blended

-Continue to whisk while thoroughly heating the mixture

-When the mixture is at a decent temperature pour into your Brew Station or if you prefer leave it in the pot and serve from there

This is not only a huge hit at parties, but is a great snow day treat for your family!

Don’t forget to add some favorites to your homemade hot chocolate! Setting up a hot chocolate bar is always a hit! Here’s some ideas –

-marshmallows

-caramel bits (located next to the chocolate chips in your grocery store)

-peanut butter bits (located next to the chocolate chips in your grocery store)

-mint bits (located next to the chocolate chips in your grocery store)

-whipped cream

-Baileys Irish Cream (for the adults only of course!)

The possibilities are endless!

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