Any Tips For Making Better Hot Cocoa? Good Questions

Q: I've been experimenting with making a rich from-scratch hot cocoa. I've tried several kinds of cocoa powder, and a few different techniques, and to me the result always tastes a little powdery, not creamy enough.

I know the best way to get creamy hot cocoa is to melt chocolate bars, but are there techniques to make powder-based cocoa taste richer? The closest I've come has been to warm the powder with some coconut oil before adding any milk.

Sent by Kat

Editor: Readers, do you have any tips or techniques for making creamier, richer hot cocoa using cocoa powder?

Next question?

Related: Snuggle In: 10 Hot Chocolate Recipes

(Image: Faith Durand)

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Oven-Baked Salmon, Quicker Pot Roast, Shepherd's Pie, Beef and Bean Chili, Shortbread Toffee Bars, Hot Cocoa with Whiskey, and Tofu Kimchi Dumplings New Recipes from The Kitchn

Individual Pot Roasts with Thyme-Glazed Carrots

This week we dove into hearty comfort food. Meaty favorites like pot roast (albeit a quicker version) and shepherd's pie made an appearance, as well as lighter and meat-free meals like tofu and kimchi dumplings. There was an utterly elegant example of chicken liver pt, and good instructions for baking tender, flaky salmon in the oven.

But let's not forget breakfast and dessert: Try almond-coconut granola, or English muffins with feta spread for the first. To close the day, a boozy cup of whiskey-laced hot cocoa should do the trick, or a thick wedge of shortbread topped with toffee and chocolate.

Individual Pot Roasts with Thyme-Glazed Carrots
Oven Baked Salmon Fillets
How To Cook Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs in the Oven
Hot Cocoa & Kilbeggan Whiskey
Irish Shortbread Toffee Bars
Beef and Bean Chili
Simple Shepherd's Pie
How to Cook & Brown Ground Beef
Chicken Liver Pt with Sage, Apple and Thyme
Almond & Coconut Granola
English Muffins with Apricot Preserves & Feta Spread
Tofu Kimchi Dumplings (Korean Mandu)

Last Week's New Recipes: Homemade Sparkling Cider, Potato Goat Cheese Gratin, Pumpkin Pancakes, Spiced Pecans, Breakfast Casserole & Dirt Cake

(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)

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Hot Chocolate and Whiskey? Yes, Please! Hot Cocoa & Kilbeggan Whiskey Recipe The 10-Minute Happy Hour

On one of my very first forays into journalism, I was tasked with interviewing some local Atlanta lifestyle celebrities about comfort foods and one interview in particular has stuck with me. This week it once again popped into my mind giving me the ideal drink idea for our 10- Minute Happy Hour.

At the time Lee May (see his website here) was a garden journalist for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He was on my "get list" for this Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine assignment and he couldn't have been kinder to my leafy green approach. He asked me to lunch. Now mind you I am fully aware I am supposed to host my subject but this guy knew what he was doing and I was not going to differ.

My other interviews had gone something like this:

Q: What's your comfort food?

A: a) Beef Stew, b) Chocolate Chip Cookies, c) Meatloaf

Over the years I've learned to treat my interviews with much more finesse and get my answers in a less direct, college level journalistic-y manner. However, there is no doubting these three answers still hold weight in the comfort food category. But it was Lee's answer that almost knocked me off my off my barstool. His comfort food was, and I quote, "Sushi, because for me comfort does not come by the calendar year." He couldn't have been more correct. It's not just on cold nights we crave comfort. Everyone has their thing and no one food item is the cure all for those of us craving comfort.

Here in the Northeast, we've been battered by Hurricane Sandy, some are still without power, water or heat; and temps keep dropping. Mix in a presidential election and top with a Nor-easter for icing and for many of us, simple comforts seem like a dream. This week's happy hour calls for no bar couture, only a simple mug is needed.

No matter what your weather, a comforting cup of rich hot cocoa spiked with whiskey and dolloped with rich whipped cream, is all you'll need for a little happiness to finish off what for many has been a very long week.

Hot Cocoa & Kilbeggan Whiskey

serves 4 to 6

1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
Pinch of salt
6 ounces Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

For the Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon or cocoa powder to garnish

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Do not boil! Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Remove from the heat and add the whiskey.

In a separate cool metal bowl whisk the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla, until stiff peaks form.

Divide the cocoa and whiskey mixture among 4 to 6 cups and top each with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa on top if desired.

Maureen C. Petrosky writes what she knows, food, booze and parties. Author of The Wine Club, she appears regularly on The TODAY show to share her vices (and advice) with the world. For more info check out www.maureenpetrosky.com or follow her on Twitter @maureenpetrosky.

Related: The Best Hot Chocolate on Earth? Caf Angelina

(Images: Maureen Petrosky)

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