Fantasy Hot Chocolate

 Hot Chocolate - Tis the Season

Hot Chocolate with Chai spice, garnished with cinnamon marshmallows, caramel and cookies.

The weather outside doesn't need to be frightful to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. This is my go-to recipe for hot chocolate for a party. Once it's heated up, I pour it into a thermos carafe to stay warm without curdling or overheating on the stove. Be sure to stock up on marshmallows, whipped cream and sprinkles. The spices are perfect - not too much but enough to give it a special touch. If you want to omit the spices so that you can mix it up and add other flavors afterward, that works, too. 

Those beautiful pottery mugs are by Tompkins Pottery of Yuma, Arizona.

Hot Chocolate for a Crowd

12 ounce bag of good quality semisweet Chocolate Chips

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

2 Sticks of Cinnamon

1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

8 cups of Whole Milk (You could obviously sub Oat milk or Almond milk) 

In a large pot over low heat, melt chocolate slowly while stirring with the cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa powder. When it's completely melted, add the condensed milk and stir or whisk until smooth. Add the cinnamon sticks and the milk and heat it up slowly to desired temperature and then transfer it to a large thermos pitcher or carafe.

My friend, Deb, and I had a fantasy hot chocolate 'contest' on social media a couple of years ago. Although she won (she's an executive chef and wildly creative!) we had so much fun and the hot chocolates were delicious. The pics in this post are my creations from the contest. 

 

Griswold Hot Chocolate - a dash of eggnog and a dash of bourbon, garnished with a homemade tiny gingerbread cottage, whipped cream, a snowman marshmallow (made with edible markers), a candy cane, sprinkles and served in a cup wearing an ugly Christmas sweater.

 

 Black Forest Hot Chocolate - dark chocolate with a garnish of Amarena cherries, chocolate antlers, whipped cream and a drizzle of the syrup from the cherries. Topped with a pfeffernusse cookie and chocolate shavings. I also mixed a spoonful of the cherry syrup in the hot chocolate.

 

 

 Mexican Hot Chocolate - dark hot chocolate with a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne. Topped with whipped cream that is infused with Patron XO Cafe Liqueur and garnished with a chocolate Mayan temple, dark chocolate shavings, a couple of coffee beans and a pepper. This was my favorite.

 

 

 Magical Unicorn Hot Chocolate - made with white chocolate and tinted pink with food coloring, garnished with a sugar glitter rim, pastel mini marshmallows, a pink and white paper straw for stirring and more sugar glitter. I tried to make a unicorn horn, but it looked like a pornographic piece of fried chicken and had to go. LOL.

 

 Campfire Hot Chocolate - a graham cracker rim and garnished with a toasted marshmallow and a graham cracker with chocolate shavings.

 

 

 

 

 

Candy Cane Hot Chocolate - topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, peppermint marshmallows and a candy cane and spiked with your choice of peppermint schnapps or a dash of peppermint extract.

 

 

 Mystical Mermaid Hot Chocolate - white chocolate, infused with lavender buds and tinted pale aqua. Garnished with whipped cream, graham cracker 'sand' and a white chocolate glitter mermaid tail.