Homemade Gourmet Hot Chocolate

Creamy hot chocolate is comforting on a cold fall or winter night, and it's a sweet and tasty treat any time of the year. Gourmet hot chocolate with hints of vanilla, caramel, almond, cinnamon, or Irish mocha are even more delectable, and they're all very easy to make at home. It isn't necessary to spend a small fortune on packets of gourmet hot chocolate when the homemade variety is just about as easy to make. Better yet, homemade gourmet hot cocoa is much richer and tastier than anything you'll ever find in a dry mix. Try these ideas for homemade gourmet hot chocolate next time you want a hot chocolate drink. You'll never want ordinary hot chocolate again!

Homemade Gourmet Cocoa

For three large mugs of homemade gourmet hot cocoa you'll need 1 ¼ cups of boiling water, ¼ cup of unsweetened baking cocoa, a dash of salt, ¼ cup of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 3 cups of milk, and ¾ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, cocoa, cinnamon, and sugar. Slowly bring it to a simmer, and stir the mixture until it's well blended before removing it from the heat. In a separate pan, warm the milk over a low setting, just until it's hot enough to drink. Remove the milk from the heat source, and slowly stir in the cocoa mixture. Lastly, stir in the vanilla. Place a lid on the pan, and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before serving or adding one of the following gourmet flavor options.

Flavor Options

If you like the flavor of Irish mocha, add a splash of Irish whiskey and ¾ of a teaspoon of honey to an individual mug of hot chocolate. Top it with chocolate whipped cream and curls of milk chocolate for a cup of homemade gourmet hot cocoa unlike any you've ever tried.

Those who like almonds can make a mug of homemade gourmet vanilla and almond flavored hot chocolate by adding a dash of Amaretto. Top it with whipped cream, and sprinkle it with vanilla flavored coffee creamer for a delicious gourmet drink.