Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Advent Day 12: Hot Chocolate Variations!

We have heard it said that "Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour." (Taken from William Cowper's The Task, published in 1785.)  Now, while Cowper was the first one to phrase it in this manner, we note that spices were often a costly and welcomed gift within the Bible.  An interesting passage can be found at 1 Kings Chapter 10, when the Queen of Sheba came to challenge the wisdom of Solomon:
When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon (fame due to the name of the Lord), she came to test him with hard questions.  She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his valets, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
So she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. Not even half had been told me; your wisdom and prosperity far surpass the report that I had heard. Happy are your wives!  Happy are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again did spices come in such quantity as that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (1 Kings 10)
Solomon exhibited hospitality for a monarch who had no bearing upon his reign, but handled her questions with the grace and wisdom God had given him.  So today's all about adding variety and spices to hot chocolate.

HOT CHOCOLATE VARIATIONS

Basic Hot Cocoa Recipe
Pour 4 c milk into a 1-qt measuring cup. Add 1 capful (about 1/2 t) vanilla, and set aside.

Place in a medium saucepan:

  • 1/4 c cocoa powder
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • pinch of salt


  1. (Save yourself some trouble, as well as the juggling of multiple small measuring cups, by making several individual batches of these dry ingredients and storing each in a small zip style plastic bag. You'll be amazed at what a time saver this can be!)
  2. Whisk in 1/3 c hot tap water, and place over medium heat. Watch carefully and stir frequently until the mixture comes to a full boil; then continue to boil, stirring constantly, for two minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and whisk in the reserved vanilla milk. Return to the stove at a low to medium setting, until heated through.
  4. Serve as is, or topped with marshmallows or whippped cream. Guaranteed to "warm the toe bones," as we say at our house! :) Makes four (8 oz.) servings of hot cocoa.

German Chocolate Hot Cocoa

  1. Substitute 1/2 c. brown sugar for the granulated white sugar.
  2. Substitute 2 c. of coconut milk for half (2 c.) of the milk in the recipe.
  3. You can use a 15.5 oz can of coconut milk, or use this recipe for Coconut-Infused Milk:
    1. Place 2 cups of shredded coconut in a heat-safe bowl.
    2. Bring 2 cups of milk to a boil in a small saucepan. It will foam, then boil over very quickly, so watch carefully!
    3. Pour over the reserved coconut, and let stand for about one hour.
    4. Place the coconut and milk mixture into a blender, and process for about 30 seconds.
    5. Strain into a 1-qt measuring cup, pressing the coconut to extract as much milk as possible. Discard the coconut.
    6. Fill the measuring cup to the 4 cup mark with additional milk, then continue the basic recipe as written.

Tastes great with gingerbread cookies!

Mexican Hot Cocoa

  1. Prepare basic recipe as written; whisk in 2 t cinnamon and 1/2 t chili powder with the milk.
  2. If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream and a few shavings of dark, sweet chocolate.

Serve with Mexican Wedding Cakes for a special treat!

Scandinavian Orange Chocolate Hot Cocoa

  1. Prepare hot cocoa as directed in the basic recipe above.
  2. Whip 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form.
  3. Gently fold 2 T orange marmalade into the whipped cream.
  4. Place a large dollop of the orange whipped cream on each serving of the hot cocoa; top with freshly-grated orange zest, if desired.
There are plenty of other options (including some slightly alcoholic, that I'll let you look up on your own), and links are below for the non-alcoholic:

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