Wow..I’ve been slacking with the blog!! Let’s fix that today. A friend Facebooked me this morning asking for help with making hot chocolate and I have a very simple recipe that is UHmazing! With the holidays fast approaching and the cold winter weather upon us – this recipe is perfecto.
A few things to keep in mind – use the best chocolate you can find. This makes a huge difference in the overall flavor and texture. Also, using a really good vanilla extract is important. I would also not substitute the whole milk or cream with lower fat % milk. The addition of the coffee will give the hot chocolate a deeper richness of flavor.
3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee
Add the cream and milk to a medium saucepan and heat to simmering. Remove from heat and then add both chocolates. After the chocolate melts add the vanilla, instant coffee and sugar. Whip this together and then reheat to serving temperature. Serve immediately.
A nice touch for serving this is to add a peppermint candy cane.
More holiday recipes will be blogged. 🙂
Brandon
If you're afraid of butter, just use cream. 
My favorite addition to homemade cocoa is nutmeg. But I also find that a pinch of sea salt to every 4 cups milk really brightens the flavors.