My girlfriend got me this tin of chocolate last year from Williams-Sonoma. It wasn’t powder, but chocolate shavings, which combine with hot milk much easier. No powdery globs floating on top, it all just melts right in. Tonight, I added a bit of peppermint extract to this cocoa, and the result was the best cup of homemade hot chocolate I’ve ever had. However, I still think I can do better. So what’s the best cup of hot cocoa you’ve ever drank?
Related side question: I had an incredible cup of chocolate while visiting said girlfriend in Barcelona a couple years ago. It was very rich and very thick, almost like a hot pudding. I believe it was just called “chocolate” over there, but I’m not sure. Does anybody know what this concoction is, and where I might find it? Is it a European staple, or perhaps specific to Spain, or even Barcelona? Do I have even a remote chance of reproducing this delicious stuff? I’d love to enjoy some this winter.
My brother makes chocolate shots whenever there’s a crowd over. It’s pretty much just melted chocolate, cream and kahlua. I don’t know what else he throws in, but it’s gooood.
You need to learn the trick…Put the powder in the cup, add enough water to cover it and mix it really really well while the rest of the water is in the microwave heating. It’s ALOT easier to get the clumps out when you only working with a little bit of water. Add the hot water, mix and you’re golden.
As for my favorite. I like land’o lakes. But I found that one wasn’t enough. So for the amount of water that is listed on the back, I use three packages. Usually two milk chocolate and one mint. Last year we had a big display of them at our store, as they started to run out I grabbed about 30 packages which are still sitting in my desk since I don’t think we’ll get them in again this year.
I love that stuff. I don’t have the wooden spinner thing though. I just use a small whisk.
Another favorite is Hershey’s Cacao Mix. It’s a combination of powder and chocolate bits. You’re supposed to keep it well stirred, but I like to let the melted chocolate settle to the bottom and eat it with a spoon. It’s like having hot chocolate, then dessert. The spiced variety is very similar to the Mexican chocolate.
I think the best I had was when I was once craving hot chocolate and I didn’t have any mix but I did have cocoa powder. I used hot milk, cocoa powder, sugar and probably a little Irish Cream. Yum. Oh, and whipped cream on top instead of marshmallows.
Anyone know how to make hot chocolate in the style of the movie Cholát? I believe it involved using melted chocolate and some sort of pepper. I’ve always wanted to try that. If I recall correctly, some South American countries also add some sort of hot spicy ingredient to their hotc hocolate as well…
