Hot Cocoa for Cold Winter Nights

Christmas is my favorite time for a warm mug of hot cocoa. I'm not sure why we don't enjoy the flavors all year long, but it seems you hear more about hot cocoa during the Christmas season. I am not a chocolate lover, but I love hot cocoa. My dad is the hot cocoa maker in our family and I use his recipe. We always opened gifts with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a present in the other! Dad adapted his recipe from an old Hershey cookbook. It's similar to the one you see on the side of the Hershey's Cocoa can, but with a few twists. No package mixes and hot water at our house!

This is a perfect hot cocoa to prepare and place in a coffee dispenser or a big crock pot as part of a Hot Cocoa Bar. I love pouring it into my insulated pump dispenser and placing all the delicious toppings in mason jars. Add some greenery and twinkling fairy lights and your Hot Cocoa Bar is not only delicious, but magical!

It's cold and wet here today, so this is a perfect day to make a pot. It's really easy and quite delicious!

Still Woods Hot Cocoa Recipe

Ingredients:

-1 cup of White Granulated Sugar (We like it less sweet so I often use ¾ a cup)

-½ cup Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

-2/3 cup Hot Water

-Pinch of Sea Salt

-6 cups of Whole Milk

-2 cups of Half and Half

-2 Teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract

-Reddi Wip or Cabot Whipped Cream in a Can for the Topping

Directions:

Whisk together sugar, cocoa and salt in a large pot until combined.
Pour hot water into dry ingredients and whisk together until the dry is fully incorporated into the water. .
Cook and whisk over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil.
Whisk or stir the mixture making sure it does not stick to bottom of the pan.
Slowly pour in the whole milk and the half and half into the cocoa mixture.
Continue whisking the mixture until it is blended completely.
Add the vanilla.
Reduce the temperature to medium-low heat and continue heating until you achieve the desired temperature, whisking every now and then. Do Not Allow to Boil.

Serving Suggestions:

1. Use a ladle and pour the hot cocoa into pretty Christmas mugs.

2. Use a canned whipping cream such as Reddi Wip or Cabot Whipped Cream and dispense on top of the cocoa in a swirling pattern. Add additional topping on top of the whipped cream if desired.

3. Toppings Suggestions:

a. Shave semi-sweet chocolate from a bar and sprinkle on top.

b. Crush peppermint candies and sprinkle on top of the whipped cream.

c. Sift a fine layer of powdered cocoa on top.

d. Mini marshmallows.

e. Top with Hersheys caramel syrup

4. Serve with a peppermint stir stick on the side for a festive look!

Substitutions:

1. You can use skim milk, but it’s not as good. It’s Christmas, so enjoy the good stuff!

2. Omit the half and half and use 8 cups of whole milk instead.

3. Use 7 cups of whole milk and 1 cup of heavy cream.

4. The recipe can be halved easily.

Stay safe and warm my friends!

Blessings from Lynda at Still Woods Farmhouse

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I had planned to share my new front door decor, but alas, like many residents of the MS Gulf Coast, all loose outside objects have been secured as we await the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. Instead, I thought I would share with you a set of my favorite dinnerware. I began collecting Memory Lane ironstone many years ago, but my love of the pattern began when I was just a little girl. My Grandma Mercer had one dinner plate. I imagine that she picked it up either in a box of laundry soap or as a reward for shopping at the IGA of Chattahoochee, Florida. I came to love her one plate. My grandmother would make sure that my food was served on that plate no matter what other dinnerware pattern was set on her table! When she passed away, I was blessed to receive her dining room set which included a lovely buffet with glass knobs along with the matching table and chairs. I also received my Memory Lane plate. During my search for more pattern pieces...

Quarantine Reno: The Butler's Pantry/Laundry Room

Good morning everyone! I wanted to share with you a major renovation which Mr. Still Woods and I accomplished during the quarantine. I have been feeling a huge push to simplify not only my life, but our home as well. I started with reorganizing room by room and donating items we no longer use. After that was accomplished, I began thinking. My husband says that my thinking is always dangerous and usually means a lot of work for him! So let me tell you how this all started. I have a large pantry in the kitchen with pull out drawers and deep shelves. While it holds tons of pantry items, I was always complaining because items tend to meander to the back of the shelves. When you need a flashlight to see what's in your pantry, you know its too large. So I decided that I wanted to relocate our pantry into a free standing, shallow unit. We sat down and drew up a plan we were both happy with. As with most plans, our plan got altered along the way. What was to ...

Patriotic Tablescapes

I was perusing the internet for a little 4th of July tablescape inspiration. Wow...are there some wonderful ideas for any Yankee Doodle Dandy table. Let's take a look! I love the blog Between Naps on the Porch. She has a gift for setting a beautiful table. This one is set with solids of red, white, and blue. The tall lanterns also lend a patriotic flair and really make the setting cozy. I love the entire setting in this photo from The Gathering of Friends. The house and yard phtograph beautifully. Those red chairs really pop! Looks like a great place to entertain and watch fireworks. Tampa Homebody has incorporated some of my favorite glassware into her table setting. American Fostoria and blue Cape Cod glass make this a festive display. Doesn't this make you want to pull up a chair? The centerpiece is simple, but quite lovely. I am crazy about checkered prints. Super cute from Stone Gable! This is just prec...

Still Woods Farmhouse

Search This Blog