Basic homemade hot chocolate mix

Dear winter, thank you for forcing me to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

With the increasingly cold weather keeping me inside, I've been taking every opportunity to cozy up with my kids in front of the fire place with some hot chocolate. I've never really been a big fan of winter, I prefer heat (beaches!!!), but I have to admit that since having kids, winter is a lot more fun; snow angels, snowmen, sliding, skiing... and most importantly, cuddling up on the couch! I also love the slower beat of things.

This year, for our Christmas tree decorating party, I wanted to give out Christmas themed party favors. That obviously meant gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate. I prefer things being personal and we all know I love making my own recipes. So I spent a bit of time trying to figure out the exact ingredients to my basic homemade hot chocolate mix. This is another one of those things where I usually just randomly dump ingredients together and just like magic, out comes deliciousness (that's a word right?). 

It turned out quite delicious and smooth. If you want it sweeter, you can always add a bit more sugar, but I find it just right this way. I have every intention of making tons of variations of this basic recipe so stay tuned!

hot chocolate mix

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder (pure, unsweetened)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch



To make the mix is very simple. Just pour all the above ingredients into a container and shake. If you want to make sure it's homogeneous, you can mix the ingredients in a bowl first.



When you're ready to have some hot chocolate, all you have to do is add 2 tablespoons of the mix to 1 cup of cold milk and bring to a boil on med-high, stirring constantly (it shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes). You could also microwave it, but I prefer the stove.

And if you want to give this as a gift, don't forget to make a pretty label with the instructions!

single serving

If you don't want to make a big batch and prefer just making a cup as you go, you can use the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder (pure, unsweetened)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp corn starch

Chocolate mini cupcakes & cream cheese frosting

chocolate mini cupcake

Mmmm... mini chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! I always find cake too dry (or not very chocolatey) sooooooo, after a few attempts, I came up with my own recipe. Here it is, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Butter
225g semi-sweet Chocolate
4 Eggs
3/4 cup Sugar

VARIATIONS:
Fudge-y like: Nothing added.
Brownie: 1/4 cup Flour + 1/4 tsp Baking Powder.
Moist Cake: 1/2 cup Flour + 1/2 tsp Baking Powder.

1. Melt the butter.


2. Incorporate chocolate.


3. Beat eggs lightly.


4. Add eggs and sugar to mixture.


5. Add optional ingredients if desired.


6. Bake @ 300F for approx 20 min.

Mmmmmmmm, nomnomnomnomnom, sooo yummy... time to decorate!

cream cheese frosting

This frosting is absolutely divine. It's not too sweet and very creamy. I love it!

INGREDIENTS:
250g Cream Cheese (room temp)
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 cup Butter (melted)


OPTIONAL:
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

This ingredient is for taste, use your imagination!

1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.


3. Decorate your favorite cupcakes (I used a Ziploc bag).


I love to put this frosting on my mini chocolate cupcakes. (:

Blueberry chocolate explosion

This is another one of my blueberry recipes. It is really quick to make & turns into an absolutely divine dessert. The blueberries explode in your mouth leaving a delicate, yet sweet mix of melted chocolate & fresh blueberry juice. This recipe is best made with fresh (not frozen) blueberries.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Fresh Blueberries
4 Aero Chocolate Bars


First, on the stove, melt the chocolate on low heat, keep stirring so it doesn't burn at the bottom.


Second, carefully fold in the blueberries.



Third, carefully spoon chunks on a cookie sheet & refrigerate.


Enjoy! (: