Sugar Savvy

Serendipity: It’s not just a name of a popular spot in New York that serves frozen hot chocolate. No, it’s what happened this week when a monstrous snowstorm hit much of the Northeast, leaving a blanket of winter in its wake and I had a post due for this site. What better way to celebrate the last blast of winter than with homemade hot chocolate?

I must confess that this came from my friend Sue, who is a maven of all things homemade, but I suggest some tweaks to customize it.

Hot Chocolate

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla sugar
3/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Stir everything to combine and store in an airtight container. Add 3-4 teaspoons of mix to one cup of milk in a saucepan or to one cup of hot water. If you have homemade marshmallows, so more the better. I had some left over from Christmas (stored in an tight container) that were made from a Barefoot Contessa mix. When they dissolve, they become a floating island of vanilla goo. Oh, and if you don’t know what vanilla sugar is, it’s made from the spent pods of a vanilla bean that are left in at least a cup of sugar in an air-tight container (there’s that phrase again) — the sugar becomes suffused with the scent of vanilla and it’s lovely.

Suggestions for tweaks:

Add 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon or add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder (which dissolves in water). If I am feeling the need for extra caffeine, I’ll add a couple of teaspoons of this mix to coffee, which makes it something close to but not altogether resembling a cafe mocha.