Warm Up Your Winter: Review of hot chocolate recipes

Video by Ryan Gossick. 

Since Mother Nature decided to go from 60 degrees and sunny to a deep winter overnight, I’m taking it into my own hands to heat things back up a notch. Clearly, hot chocolate is the best way to do this — whether you’re a pile-the-marshmallows-until-they-fall-out or a simple chocolate drizzle type of person.    

And if you’re looking to stray from the norm with a less conventional twist, hot cocoa mix can be used to chocolate-ify regular dessert recipes. Read below to find the hot chocolate recipes (solids and  liquids) to bring back some warmth to the 13 degree weather.

Hot Chocolate

I’m used to the classic Nestle dry hot chocolate mix, but the extra three minutes it takes to make homemade hot chocolate is definitely worth it. All you have to do is heat milk and sugar on the stove before adding in melted bittersweet chocolate — don’t feel bad if you end up eating some of the chocolate too. With the added time, you end up with a creamy, tastes-like-a-melted-Hershey’s-kiss drink.

 The key is the whole milk — it makes the end product that much creamier instead of the watery consistency of skim milk. Add in a dollop of whipped cream (if you’re feeling inspired, try making your own) and voilá, you have the perfect pick-me-up for that physics final you’ve been studying for.

Hot Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate chip cookies outrank brownies any day in my book. And that opinion doesn’t change for hot chocolate brownies. The only difference between normal brownies and hot cocoa ones are the two packets of dry hot chocolate mix added in — and it doesn’t change much.

The color and texture were slightly altered — the brownies were a light tan and very grainy. Instead of ooey, gooey brownies, they looked like sand and frankly, tasted like sand. The only redeeming factor was the chocolate chips sprinkled sporadically throughout — however, those didn’t satisfy my urge for a strong hot chocolate mix. Reserve this holiday treat for the relatives you don’t  like. 

Hot Chocolate Pancakes

Again, the only difference between these normal pancakes and hot chocolate pancakes was the hot cocoa mix stirred in. The result? A brunch item no one wants to order.

The dry hot chocolate powder only makes the pancakes thicker and harder to swallow — I got a touch of heartburn trying to consume mine. Not even a pool of maple syrup or absurd amounts of butter could save these. The light and fluffy texture was nowhere to be found. 

The pancakes lacked the hot cocoa flavor they promised  — they tasted like any normal Saturday-morning pancake, just a little more bland. Instead of ending up in my stomach, they were thrown in the trash. 

If you’re looking for the full hot chocolate holiday effect, I’d stick with a classic cup of cocoa (homemade or dry mix edition).