I’m a morning person.  Regardless of the time of year, mornings bring the promise of a new day and a moment of calm before the rush of things that need to be done.  I do find fall mornings just a bit more difficult though because the coldness in the air makes it nearly impossible to leave the bed! However, there are a few things that can tempt me away from my cocoon of warmth.  Perhaps the quickest way to lure me from the blankets is the promise of something hot.  This weekend was especially cold for early October and I needed extra motivation to abandon the warmth. That motivation came in the form of hot chocolate.

I used to use the packets of hot cocoa mix but once I started to make my own, I was hooked.  It’s a simple recipe that I adapted from one I found here but you can also use a divine recipe from Rodelle, available here!

·         1/3 cup cocoa powder
·         ¼ cup of white sugar (if you use unsweetened cocoa powder, use ½ cup of white sugar)
·         ½ cup of water
·         1 small can (5 oz) of evaporated milk
·         3 ½ cups of milk
·         1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

Boil the lightly salted water over medium high, then disintegrate the sugar into it.  Turn the heat to low and add the remaining ingredients.  Once you add the cocoa powder and milks, be gentle with the heat so you don’t get that burned flavor.  Using the evaporated milk and vanilla makes it creamy and deep without being too sweet.

Now, hot chocolate is a comfort drink and is meant to be consumed, well, comfortably.  Tiny little teacups are not going to cut it for hot chocolate!  I love those big mugs that can double as a soup bowl (or an ice cream dish!) that I can easily wrap both hands around.  Once I have my mug of hot chocolate in hand, I’m in a much better mood and I am reminded about some of the advantages of cold weather.

Autumn is the season for hot drinks and thick soups.  There are several flavors I associate with the changing colors of leaves: chocolate, pumpkin, cinnamon and apple are the ones that immediately come to mind.  Vanilla is such a complex ingredient, it really enhances these flavors and brings them to the forefront. With holidays looming, there is the chance to bake an amazing array of breads and desserts, combining most, if not all, of these ingredients. So even though I was a little resentful when I first switched off the air conditioning and prepared to turn on the heat, I remember how much I love fall flavors and colors and I look forward to sharing them with you here on this blog.

What’s your favorite hot chocolate recipe for when the temperature drops and you’re trying to warm up your family?

Until next time,

Laura

Thanks cwalker71 for the tree picture!

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Tags: autumn foods, cocoa, cocoa powder, fall, fall traditions, hot cocoa recipe, pure vanilla extract, recipe hot chocolate, vanilla, vanilla hot chocolate

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.