Hot Cocoa

The 70% choco bar from Whole Foods

I never turn away a good hot choco/cocoa. I went to the super secret place to get hot cocoa the other day, and usually it is made with dark choco, cream, whole milk, a dash sugar and a huge homemade fluffy marshmallow on top. This is not on the menu most of the time, it is one of those items that you just have to know about. Usually, it is like sipping on the most decadent warm treat the world has to offer. Then, the other day, the chef was not in, and I ordered my super secret hot choco for dessert. What came out was a pale skim milky, sugary (too sweet), lack of choco depth, lack of choco flavor profile, lack of creamy texture, and a stale stiff marshmallow on top. It was also lukewarm to start, and there is nothing worse for a cup of hot cocoa than to start out as old dish water temperature. I was so disappointed. It was like walking into McDs to order French fries, expecting this pouch of hot, salty, hot greasy, crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, addicting little potato sticks, but then what they give you is a pouch of cold, floppy, gummy, BK type fries.

Mixing up the hot cocoa

The next day, to remedy this want of great hot choco, I decided to make it myself. Hold on to your arteries, here is what I did. I got some Hatcher Dairy cream and whole milk. I took my giant choco bar that I got for taking the new Whole Foods opening tour, and cut up 3/4 of it in tiny pieces.

I also used a few drops of honey from my honey bear that was packed with locally produced honey from my friends house. The story behind the honey is that a tornado came close to his house, knocking down a tree. He discovered the hollow part had bees, so he tried to prop up that broken bee home so the bees could live. Well, it was no use, the tree was smashed and opened to the elements. He was so sad for the bees because the high winds and the storm destroyed the bees' home. He hurried to get help from a bee keeper, and they quickly built a man-made beehive and placed it right next to the broken tree home. Well, to the happiness of my friend, the bees figured out they had a new, and safe home, and they moved into their new abode. His bees in his back yard were prolific this year, and made honey like nobodies business, and I was lucky enough to be able to get some of this sweet gold. These bees are happy, safe, and well looked after by a very kind man.

OK, so I warmed 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup cream, 3/4 bar of dark 70% choco, and a few drops of honey in a pot. I kept stirring and stirring until really warm. This made 2 servings.

Yummo! I am good now for hot choco.

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