Hot Chocolate Variations

Who doesn't like a cup of hot cocoa on a chilly day?

TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham tells how to make homemade hot chocolate and variations on the original recipe.

Homemade hot chocolate is a lot easier to make than you think, and you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry. Add an extra ingredient or two to a basic hot chocolate recipe, and the variations are endless.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. white sugar
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Mix together the sugar, cocoa and salt in a mug. Heat the milk in the microwave (1-1/2 minutes), or on the stove until hot. Gradually add the milk to the cocoa mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. You can also substitute an artificial sweetener for the sugar.

Variations

• Substitute eggnog for the milk for a rich holiday treat.

• Use coconut milk in place of the milk.

• Make a peanut butter hot chocolate by simply adding one teaspoon of creamy peanut butter. Whisk the peanut butter into the hot milk until well blended.

• To make a raspberry hot chocolate, stir in 1 teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam.

• Mint and chocolate go well together. Try adding two chocolate mints to the hot milk and stir until melted.

• Add 1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger to the milk before heating it.

Also in this Episode

TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-1210
•	Corsages & Boutonnieres
•	Making Motherhood Easier
•	Hot Chocolate Variations
•	Tip of the Day