Ingredients for 1 person’s hot chocolate experience. Simply multiply it by the number of people who wish to enjoy.
In a saucepan combine over medium heat
1.5 C of milk OK, so here’s the milk thing: I use fresh, whole goat or cow milk from a local farm. This lovely milk is available at the Portland Farmer’s Market. A non-diary option is a can of regular coconut milk, or dehydrated coconut milk powder plus enough water to make luxurious coconut milk. You could also use any other type of milk, but I’d suggest avoiding 1% or nonfat milk. It will not taste the same, and the chemicals used to defat milk are not anything you really want to consume.
chocolate; the darker the better. I use 1/3 of an 85% or 100% bar. If you don’t have a bar handy, use 2-3 T of unsweetened cocoa. (I admit I have also added more of both. C’mon, it’s hot CHOCOlate, not hot milk).
Warm all ingredients, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the chocolate melts, smushing the cocoa powder balls against the wall of the saucepan until they dissolve.
optional exotic add-ins: 1/8 teaspoon of pink peppercorns, ground in a mortar and pestle OR shaved orange rind OR grated fresh ginger OR shake of cinnamon/a clove/cardamom pod OR vanilla pod OR stir with a cinnamon stick
Pour the cocoa milk into a large mug or better yet, a drinking bowl. Add some of your favorite sweetener (local honey? maple syrup?) but only to “barely sweet enough”, keeping it rich, dark and bittersweet. Stevia could be used as a sweetener - you only need a teeny tiny amount - remember it is 400X sweeter than sugar. Then add one of the exotics to the milk and stir. I heartily suggest the crushed pink peppercorns if you’ve never tried it. Get cosy and enjoy - dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, so go ahead and feel totally virtuous.
