hot cocoa

There are few things I love more than chocolate. These “things” have names and frequently can be found roaming around my home. Seriously, outside of my family and cats, few things hold my attention or affection as much as chocolate.  Hot chocolate is, as far as I’m concerned, liquid Heaven.  Some people try one hot chocolate recipe and stick with it for life – kind of like they took a hot chocolate vow or something.

While I have my favorite “go to” recipe (it’s the one on the back of Kroger Brand Cocoa – can you say, “Never fail?”), I also love to try as many different hot chocolate recipes as possible. There are millions out there!

Quite a few years ago (probably around 10 actually), I checked out a really, really fun cookbook from a local library. It was More than Moonshine: Appalachian Recipes and Recollections and I fell in love with so many of the recipes that I wrote just about all of them down.  I’ve been meaning to order a copy off of Amazon – I noticed they have some available. I think I’ll go grab one as soon as I finish here.

One of the recipes in this adorable and highly unique little book was for Hot Chocolate. It’s extraordinary, so I guess the good people of the Appalachian Mountains knew as much about chocolate as they did moonshine.

Good on them.

Hot Chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup hot water
1 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Marshmallows (optional)

Mix cocoa, sugar, and flour together in a saucepan; add water, and boil until somewhat thickened. Add the milk, vanilla, salt, and stir well.

Let come near boiling point, but do not boil. Put marshmallows in bottom of each cup and pour hot chocolate.

Yield: Makes 2 Cups

* You can substitute 1/2 milk and 1/2 whipping cream for the milk – but if you do so, DO NOT add the flour. (This is the way I always go – for some reason the thought of flour in my hot chocolate seems too much like gravy to me.)