Cobweb Hot Cocoa Recipes

HOT COCOA MIX

Steps:

• In an airtight container, combine all ingredients. Store in a cool, dry place up to 6 months. Yield: 13 cups mix (about 41 servings). , To prepare: Dissolve 4-5 tablespoons mix with 1 cup boiling water; stir well. , For spiced cocoa: Add 1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to 3 cups of the basic cocoa mix. , For mocha cocoa: Add 1/4 cup instant coffee granules to 3 cups of the basic cocoa mix.

HOMEMADE HOT COCOA

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to serving temperature (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk until frothy. If desired, garnish with marshmallows, cream or cinnamon sticks.

PERFECT HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups whole or low-fat milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 3 to 4 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate in a bowl, then whisk into the milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the cocoa is thick, about 2 minutes. Divide among 4 mugs and garnish each with homemade marshmallows (see below) or whipped cream.

ORANGE-SPICE COCOA

Steps:

• Sift 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/2 cup cocoa powder into a bowl. Bring 6 cups milk to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa mixture until smooth. Fold 1/2 teaspoon orange zest into 1 cup whipped cream. Divide the cocoa among 6 mugs. Top with the whipped cream.

COCOA COBWEB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 12 muffin-tin wells or line them with paper muffin cups.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; reserve.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternately with buttermilk.
• Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature.
• To make the icing, place the egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and orange juice and continue to beat until thick and shiny. If too thick, add more orange juice. If too thin, add more confectioners' sugar.
• Transfer 1/3 of the icing to a small bowl and color with black or dark brown food coloring. Spoon this dark icing into a pastry bag fitted with a tip, or pour it into a plastic squeeze bottle.
• Now, ice the cupcakes and make the cobwebs: Spoon the white icing into the center of the cupcake and spread with a small spatula or butter knife. Starting at the center of a cupcake, pipe a spiral of the dark icing from the center to the outer edge. Then, drag a sharp knife point from the center of the spiral to the edge of the cupcake. Wipe the knife clean, move about a 1/2-inch to the left or right and drag the knife in the opposite direction from the outer edge to the middle of the cupcake. Continue in this way until you have worked your way around the cupcake and formed the cobweb. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

FRUIT-SWEETENED HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Combine the milk, cocoa powder, dates, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot and steaming. Continue to cook, without letting the mixture boil, giving the dates time to soften, another 5 minutes.
• Let cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer the mixture to a blender and being careful of the hot liquid, puree until smooth. You can strain the mixture to catch any small chunks of dates that weren't blended.
• Pour into mugs and top each with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if using.

HOT COCOA COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, dust the dough generously with flour and roll out between 2 pieces of parchment paper until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes using 2-to-4-inch cookie cutters and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll once to cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cutouts until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until slightly puffed and darker around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Sandwich the cookies with the marshmallow cream.

GINGER SPICED HOT COCOA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan heat the milk and ginger over a medium-low heat until scalding, about 4 minutes. While the milk is warming, put cocoa powder and sugar into a mug. Add the water to the mug and stir until the mixture has the consistency of a paste. Remove the ginger from the warmed milk. Add the chocolate mixture to the milk and whisk until slightly frothy. Pour the hot chocolate into the mug and top with chocolate shavings.

SPICED HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Sift all the ingredients for the Spiced Hot Cocoa mix into a large bowl. For each serving, stir 1⁄4 cup mix into 1 cup hot milk. Store the remaining mix in the jar.