Christmas time is here!!!!!
Well for me (The Wife) it’s been here since late August. By the time late summer hits, I’m dreaming of cozy nights snuggled under a blanket watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate. I love spring and summer, but I have an obsession with fall time going into winter.
As much as it pained me, I held off a count down to Christmas until December hit. I knew that after the winter we had last year I would be chastised big time if I was wishing for more of the “devils dandruff”. But now, we are here with twinkling lights and the scent of pine flowing through the house and we can party hardy!
The good Lord has blessed The Chef with a many wonderful talents, but one of the prevalent ones is the gift of making THE best hot chocolate that has ever been known to man kind. This isn’t the hot chocolate that you grew up with.
Do you remember the scene in the movie The Santa Clause where Scott Calvin (hashtag Santa Claus, hashtag Tim Allen, hashtag the pure essence of Michigan for me… I still tear up when I hear Pure Michigan commercials, and I live in Michigan) goes to the North Pole after Santa fell off his roof, making him the new Santa. Judy the elf appears with hot cocoa that took her “1,200 years to get it right”… “Not too hot, extra chocolate, shaken, not stirred.”
Ever since the first time I watched the movie, I literally (literally) would dream about drinking this hot cocoa. I felt like I knew what it tasted like, and nothing in my childhood experience in hot chocolate even came close to it.
Until my own husband, The Chef, my lovely, lovely Chef made it happen. And bonus, it’s incredibly easy. No weird ingredients. It’s really all in the process.
– 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
– 3/4 cup water
– 2 packets of any hot cocoa mix
Simmer heavy cream and water in a small saucepan until hot, being careful not to scold the cream mixture.
Take your favorite mugs and run hot water over them, and let them sit with hot water in them to warm up.
This way your hot cocoa will stay warmer for longer.
Once the cream is hot, pour into either a blender or a container that you can stick your immersion blender in (the pot should be fine if it’s big enough).
Pour in the hot cocoa packets. Blend for about 30 seconds. This step is key. When you blend, you are frothing and slightly whipping the cream to give it an incredible texture that you can’t tell if it’s thick or light. I don’t even know how to explain it other than that. It’s just pure genius.
*Optional* Make whipped cream. Make sure to add in a little vanilla with your powdered sugar and whip again until thick. Add a dollop on top of your steaming mug of cocoa and sprinkle crushed candy canes for an extra wow factor.
It’s like a chocolate cloud melting in your mouth. It’s thick and chocolatey, sweet and satisfying. I want to open up a hot cocoa shop just so we can serve this, but really, you can make this just as easily. And you should.
And when you do watch The Santa Clause and revel in the part with the hot cocoa and know that you are drinking the same wonderful, chocolatey drink. It is a countdown to Christmas must!
The Everyday Chef and Wife 
I love it kate and Jason!! Can’t wait to try it! Merry Christmas!