Is it that time again? What fun.

I made a 1/2 batch of this last month for Beau and me. But I don't know how good this is compared to others.

Makes about 20 servings
3 cups nonfat dry milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Store in airtight container for up to 3 months. To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of this mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or mini marshmallows.

Recipe sounds better than mine....which uses Nestle's Quick and powdered coffee creamer!
Now about how to keep it hot and serve attractivly.
I would keep it hot in a bigs tainless pot on thes tove and ladle it into air pump pots to serve....use a pyrex measure as a ladle.
Linda C

Cathy, I think that recipe sounds better than any I have ever used. And Linda, I love your idea for keeping it hot. I forgot I had an air pump.

Cathy's recipe sounds yummy, I use the one on the Hershey's cocoa box, and it has "flavors" if you like:

Hot Cocoa

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups (1 qt.) milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream(optional)

1. Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.

VARIATIONS: Add one of the following with the vanilla extract:

SPICED COCOA: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.

MINT COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract OR 3 tablespoons crushed hard peppermint candy OR 2 to 3 tablespoons white creme de menthe. Serve with peppermint candy stick, if desired.

CITRUS COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon orange extract OR 2 to 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.

SWISS MOCHA: 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee.

COCOA AU LAIT: Omit marshmallows or whipped cream. Spoon 2 tablespoons softened vanilla ice cream on top of each cup of cocoa at serving time.

SLIM-TRIM COCOA: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water; substitute nonfat milk. Proceed as above. With vanilla, stir in sugar substitute with sweetening equivalence of 1/2 cup sugar.

CANADIAN COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract.

MICROWAVE SINGLE SERVING: Coombine 1 heaping teaspoon HERSHEY'S Cocoa, 2 heaping teaspoons sugar and dash salt in microwave-safe cup or mug. Add 2 teaspoons cold milk; stir until smooth. Fill cup with milk. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until hot. Stir to blend; serve.

Annie

This appeared in my email box today from P. Allen Smith's Gardening Newsletter (he also has fabulous recipes) and it is delicious - mug by my side as I type!

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (2 ounces)
* 1 cup milk
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* sugar to taste
* cinnamon

Instructions:

Grate the squares of chocolate and combine with the sugar and salt. In a medium sized sauce pan bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Add the chocolate, sugar and salt to the boiling water and boil for about 3 minutes or until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat and add the milk. Add more sugar if needed to sweeten to taste and then heat through.

Remove from the stove and stir in the vanilla.

Whip with a hand beater until frothy. Add a dash of cinnamon to the bottom of the cup before pouring in the hot chocolate.

This makes about 1 1/2 cups.

I go to a Spanish store and buy bars of chocolate that are meant for hot chocolate. All you have to do is break it up and heat it in water. Spanish hot chocolate has cornstarch in it and is thicker than American hot chocolate.

Lars

Cathy : You peeped in my window !!!!!

Sometimes I just use Swiss Miss, in Hot milk
Lay 2 tablespoons of Vanilla Ice Cream on top

and throw in a shot of Irish Cream.

Makes it interesting

2 or 3 cups , it becomes vedreyenteresting
LOU

.
Lou

Three teaspoons of scotch... tell me that ain't the best hot chocolate you ever had. About 1/3 of a shot so you will never get drunk off it.... but oh is it good.

: )
lyra

This is a recipe I developed and use for cocoa as well as chocolate pudding. I wanted to incorporate, good-for-you, 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate in our diet.

-Grainlady

COCOA/PUDDING MIX

3/4 c. powdered milk
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
4 oz. Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate (one whole bar)

Grate the bar of unsweetened chocolate and combine with the other ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

To make cocoa: to 1 c. milk, add 2 T. cocoa/pudding mix and heat until hot - 5-7 minutes.

To make 2 servings of pudding:
1/3 c. cocoa/pudding mix
3/4 c. water
1 to 2 T. coconut oil (or butter)
1-1/2 T. cornstarch
1 t. vanilla (added after done cooking)

Stir together in a small sauce pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook 1-minute. Remove from heat, add 1 t. vanilla (or almond extract), stir well, and divide into 2 serving dishes.

Lyra
Did you ever try 2 shots of Irish Creme.
Smoooooooooooth Hot Chocklate

LOU

MOCHA HOT CHOCOLATE (from Dragon's Kitchen Blog)

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of really good cocoa powder
1/4 cup prepared strong coffee/espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of Bailey's Irish Cream
1/4 cup steamed frothed milk or whipped cream
Cocoa powder to garnish

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, cream, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee/espresso, vanilla and Bailey's together in a small pot. Heat until everything has dissolved and the mixture is hot and steamy.

2. Pour the hot chocolate into two cups and top with frothed milk or whipped cream.

3. Sprinkle with some cocoa powder to garnish.

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I'd love someone to make me a big mug of that right now :^)

seagrass

Seagrass that one sounds real good!

Because of this thread I made Hot Chocolate last night..one large mug just for me..LOL
I took one heaping iced tea spoon of cocoa, two teaspoons of vanilla sugar, and enough boiling water to mix it..then poured in coconut milk and the last of a semi sweet chocolate chip package..about 1 T...nuked it til hot and the chips melted..and drank....it was thick...rich and DELISH and "dairy" free...(which didn't matter, but I had some coconut milk that I needed to use up.) LOL

terri :
You forgot the Irish Cream.

They are all basically the same.

I try just about anything.

Sometimes half Coffee and half Swiss Miss or Nestles.
2 tablespoons of Vanilla ice cream.
and to be different a shot of Peach Brandy.
Or 2 , that'll get me thru the night.
Lou

I actually plan on trying quite a few of these before my soup/hot chocolate bar party. I will make up a batch of Cathy's, substituting dark chocolate chips since I hate white chocolate, but I will try all of these. Thanks eveybody. You are all great!

BTW Sherry, If you make my dry mix--I use fat free half and half instead of milk.

I worked out this recipe after trying Jacques Torres 'Wicked Hot Chocolate'(which was wickedly good but wickedly expensive to mail order).

Wicked Hot Chocolate

About a cup or a little more milk
Two squares Ghiradelli 100% cacao
about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
dash cayenne
about 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla (added after heating rest of ingredients)
barely heaping to heaping tsp honey

This may sound very weird, but it's dark, slightly bitter, strong and with a little afterbite of the pepper. And it's absolutely delicious. Use whole milk and maybe even add a little cream.

So what soups are you making this year Sherry? Or is that too much off topic?

Soups? I am making Mexican Chicken Corn chowder, Sausage Tortellini, Meat Lovers Black Bean chili, Crib Bisque, and Hearty chicken with Rice. I made up the Sausage Tortellini and the chicken with rice, but did not put the pasta in and then I froze them to get a head start. I will seerve with a salad, maybe Cathy's Fig, Prosciutto, and Arugula salad (which is fabulous)and homemade High Protein Honey Wheat bread, whole grain bread, and cheddar and jalapeno cookies.

Sherry, "crib" bisque? You've been playing with the grandkids again, haven't you? LOL Actually, it all sounds delicious.

laceyvail, Elery would love that hot chocolate, I'm going to have to try that recipe.

Annie

Sherry, It sounds fabulous. This is for the folks on your street? And thanks for the plug on the salad, I took a chance and made it for meat & potatoes BIL, surprisingly he liked it.

Oh they do all sound wonderful Sherry! I hope you have a good time. Crab bisque is my absolute favorite tied with chowders any of them. The Mexican corn one sounds really good. Ah, who am I kidding, they all sound intriguing.

Want to try something good...
add a level teaspoon of rasberry preserves to hot cocoa.