Hot Chocolate is Perfect for Cold Winter Days

Those cold winter days can sometimes be very difficult to get through.  One way to warm you and your family members up is to drink a cup of rich hot chocolate.  It's very easy to make yourself as long as you have the right ingredients.  Here are a few simple tips on making a great cup of hot chocolate.

The first thing you will need is some real chocolate.  It isn't the same as hot cocoa mix that you buy at the grocery store.  The particular type of chocolate you use will obviously affect the taste significantly, and you can use white, dark, or milk chocolate depending on the taste you're going for.  Be aware that if you buy standard unsweetened chocolate, your hot chocolate will taste very bitter.  You would have to add sugar to it to make it taste a bit better.

After getting your chocolate together, you will need to cut it up using a chopping board.  The smaller the pieces of chocolate, the easier it will be to melt them later, so try to chop them as finely as you can.  Using a serrated knife will make things easier.  Also, chocolate can easily absorb odors which will also affect the taste of your hot chocolate.  Therefore, make sure the cutting board you use has been thoroughly cleaned.

You will need to use some type of liquid to dilute the chocolate.  Some people use plain water, but milk is a good option too.  If you want your hot chocolate to have a rich flavor, then milk is the way to go.  There are other ways to add flavor to your hot chocolate too.

You can add spices or herbs such as thyme, ginger, cinnamon, and basil.  While melting the chocolate, add the spices or herbs into the mix too.  The longer you allow everything to steep together, the more flavor you'll taste later.

After all of your ingredients have been added, combine them together in a pot using a whisk.  It is best to use medium-heat when melting the chocolate.  It can easily burn if the heat is up too high.  If it starts getting too hot, then take the pan off of the stove for a minute or two until it cools down a bit.  Make sure that you keep stirring while the chocolate is melting.  Melt it thoroughly so no small pieces end up in your mug.