Mama's Hot Chocolate

Winter has officially settled in here in Alberta and the kids are asking for hot chocolate at least once a day after they get in from playing outside ;)  

I’m not a big fan of most commercial hot chocolates… I find them too watery, too sweet, and often severely lacking in the chocolate department. In turn, I have always loved Mexican hot chocolate, and it conjures up many happy memories of my travels through Mexico as a little girl.

Since I’ve been making hot chocolate on repeat, I thought I’d refine a recipe that I could share, and pull out of my back pocket for when I inevitably forget myself. This version is inspired by Mexican Hot Chocolate, but doesn’t pack quite as much of a punch. It has a bit of sweetness, but not too much, and its perfectly cozy on a chilly Alberta day. This even earned me compliments from my not-sweet-tooth hubby.

Mama’s Hot Chocolate

• 4 cups of whole milk

• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup of white sugar

• 1 tsp of cinnamon

• 1 tsp of vanilla

• 1-2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Simply whisk everything together and slowly heat in a pan on the stove until its very warm, but not boiling. Make sure to stir it occasionally as it heats up. We keep things pretty classic and top with either freshly whipped cream or marshmallows, but get creative!

This will make 3-4 servings, depending on how big your mugs are and how much room you need to leave for toppings! ;) This does nicely for 2 adult, and 2 children’s portions.

What’s your favourite hot chocolate topping?! I’d love to broaden my horizons in that department!

Until I blog again,

- Alex