Recipe Name: Ginger-Spiked Hot Chocolate Prep Time: Cook Time: Total Time: Yield: Serving: Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
4 cups milk, divided and at room temperature
½ cup unsweetened cocoa (dark or regular)
4 cups half-and-half, room temperature
1½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons honey or sorghum syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and slightly crushed
Miniature marshmallows for garnish
Ground cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of milk and the cocoa until smooth. Do not skip this step! Add to the slow cooker along with the remaining milk, half-and-half, powdered sugar, honey or sorghum, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt. Whisk to blend. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger, stirring again. Cover and cook on low heat for 2½ hours.
To serve, stir well and then ladle through a fine mesh sieve into warmed mugs. Top with miniature or decorative marshmallows and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, if desired. Enjoy immediately.
Kid alternative:
Many children don’t like much spice, so to make this recipe more appealing to them, omit the nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger. It will be a more traditional hot chocolate recipe, and since it doesn’t need to infuse the spices, it only needs an hour in the slow cooker.
Author:
Recipe by The Tennessee Magazine at https://www.tnmagazine.org/warm-your-heart/