Hot Chocolate

This stuff is the bomb.
The bomb, I tell ya. And that is not a phrase I use lightly.
In fact, it's not a phrase I use at all. Ever. So you can pretty much believe me when I tell you that this hot chocolate is amazing. It is, in fact, the bomb.

Oh, and I thought I'd mention that it's fairly low in fat. Now, fat content is generally not something I give a lot of thought to. I mean, I don't cook healthy desserts. It's just not how I roll. But last night, I was pondering this, and I realized that one day, thanks to me, we are going to be a family of marshmallows. And Pillsbury Dough Boys. And that was a rather sobering thought.

So imagine my excitement when I realized that I could make this hot chocolate recipe without a lot of the fat. I just used what we had on hand to follow the recipe, and voila! Smooth, rich, creamy, and semi-healthy.
Can't beat that!

Before we begin, I would like to point out that we were ripped off. Snow was predicted last night. And it was supposed to stick. As in, accumulate. Well, when I heard that last night, I printed off about 10 hot chocolate recipes to try today. Actually, 7. But who's counting?
Anyway, I awoke this morning to cute little flurries flying around, which only stoked my cozy, make-hot-cocoa mood. After lunch, I was finally able to give it a whirl.
But alas - I looked out the window and this sight greeted me:

Uh - definitely not snow accumulation.
I was bummed.
But not so much so that I couldn't find it in me to make a little hot chocolate.

First, you'll need sweetened condensed milk. Normally, this would have made the recipe a bit fatty, but since we had the fat-free version on hand, I used that.

Mmm, Great Value brand, too. Class-eeee.

Next, some semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/2 a cup, approximately. Or German sweet, if you wish to follow the original recipe. But who actually buys German sweet chocolate?
(My apologies to those of you out there who actually do buy German sweet chocolate.)

I realize that looks like 3/4 of a cup. It's the angle. Really. Cross my heart and kiss my elbow :)

The last thing you'll need, aside from some hot milk later on, is 2 cups of Cool Whip. Yup. Cool Whip. This really is a unique recipe.
But oh man...did I mention it was the bomb?
Oh yeah, I used Cool Whip Lite, which gave the boot to a few more of those pesky fat grams.

Melt the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate over low heat, stirring until everything's smooth and creamy and melty.
(melty?)


Please excuse the change of lighting:

Now, once the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, you must...
wait.

I hate waiting. Have I mentioned that before?

Ah well, it can't be helped. Because the mixture has to get to room temperature.

Once it's at room temperature, fold in the whipped cream.



I think this looks kinda nifty:

So, once that's all blended and stirred and mixed and combined...


You can spoon about 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into a mug.
I just spooned a few globs in there. Taste and adjust. Those are the words I live by.

And then add some hot milk. Scalding, in my case, but that's beside the point. Just don't heat it so much that the disgusting membrane-like film forms on the top. Blech. Nothing worse than getting a glob of that in your creamy hot chocolate. I've done that before.
Ok.
No more talk of membranes. I'm grossing myself out.


Stir it all up, and what do you get?
Delicious hot chocolate for a cold, snowy day. If you're lucky enough to have snow, that is.

Taste and see that the chocolate is good :)

Fabulous Hot Chocolate
1 (15 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C. (4 ounces) German sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup whipping cream, whipped or 2 cups Cool Whip
6 cups milk, heated

1. In a saucepan, mix condensed milk and chocolate pieces.
2. Stir constantly over low heat until chocolate melts.
3. Cool to room Temperature.
4. Fold in the whipped cream.
5. Use now, or store covered in the fridge for up to one week.
6. To make the hot chocolate spoon a 1/4 cup of chocolate mix into a mug, add 1/2 cup of hot milk, stir and enjoy.


Happy Cooking!