While I normally want a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon when I get home from school, there are certain times when I'll get a strong craving for mug of hot, chocolatey milk instead. This has happened on many occasions in the past few weeks when I've been caught in the rain, ending up completely soaked and in need of something super comforting to warm me up. It's not really a time when I want to be chopping up chocolate for some super fancy drink so I'll inevitably turn to store bought hot cocoa mix (trying to ignore the slightly questionable ingredients on the jar). After drinking my fair share of watery, super-sweet cocoa it left me thinking that there must be a way to make my own, better version.
Turns out my inkling was right! The mixture I made up is way tastier than any store bought cocoa mix I've ever tried. It has a deep chocolate flavour thanks to the addition of finely blended chocolate which I added along with the cocoa. On a whim I mixed in some coconut milk powder for extra flavour and creaminess (if you can't find it or don't like coconut, I've also found that skimmed milk powder or malted milk powder have the same effect). I put in a smidge of cornstarch too, helping to thicken the liquid when cooked just enough to give it a little extra body - kind of faking the denser texture of cream.
What I love the most is that this basic hot chocolate mix can be customized to your liking: perhaps add a little espresso powder or some ground cinnamon for extra depth of flavour, then top it all off with a few marshmallows and you'll have the perfect winter treat. —Izy Hossack
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