BOOZY HOT CHOCOLATE

When the weather outside is frightful, a warm mug of hot chocolate can be delightful!

This treat is for the adults! So take it up a notch with your choice of liquor. Enjoy this drink with cookies and candy canes while you wait for Santa this year. Boozy hot chocolate can be customized, so garnish with glee and enjoy the season. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 3 ounces liquor of choice, such as bourbon, rum, or a cream liqueur

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 pinch kosher salt

• Optional toppings: mini marshmallows or whipped cream, chocolate shavings, sprinkles

1. Warm the milk: 

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to barely simmer but not boil (watch for small bubbles around the edges).

2. Add the chocolate: 

Add in the chopped chocolate and whisk until combined and smooth, about 5 minutes. There should be no remaining specks of chocolate, the color should turn from a pale tan to a milk chocolatey brown, and the bottom of your pan should be coated with the mixture.

3. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients: 

Remove from the heat and stir in the liquor, vanilla extract, and salt.

4. Cool slightly and serve: 

Let sit to cool to a safe drinking temperature for about 5 minutes (still hot but not burning). Pour into heatproof mugs. If a skin forms while cooling, just whisk it for a few seconds to reincorporate.

Enjoy as-is or topped with desired toppings.

YPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">