November 30, 2012

HOT COCOA from scratch (a 1 banana difficulty level)


  
It is slowly starting to get at least a little bit colder here in Texas.  So I guess it is Hot Cocoa weather, maybe at night...
 
Here is a super quick and easy Hot Cocoa recipe that is from scratch.  I will share a story of warning first however. 
 
In this recipe, you need heated milk.  I've been using a mason jar (topless) to heat the milk in the microwave on the 1 cup beverage setting.  At a point in the recipe you put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for a brief time.  I've wondered if a broken jar may occur since, as I learned in Mrs. Phillips science class, liquids expand when heated.
 
So, I decided to try a plastic container with a plastic lid.  I put the lid on and had just started a vigorous shake when I demonstrated another principle I learned in Mrs. Phillips science class, ENTROPY!!  The hot milk caused a poor fit and I had about a 360 deg spray of milk around the walls and appliances in my kitchen!
 
Take it from 'this monkey' use a mason type canning jar! 
 
Let's get started
 
WHAT YOU NEED :
1 T of Cocoa Mix
1 T of Sugar
8 oz of Whole Milk (you can use 1%, 2% or skim, but I say indulge with the Whole Milk!)
Salt (a small sprinkle to allow the Cocoa flavor to shine, but it is optional)
 
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED :
Spoon
Mug
A glass Microwaveable Container
 
WHAT YOU DO :
 
 
1.  Heat the Milk.  This can be on the stove top or in the Microwave.  I just use the "Beverage" setting on my Microwave, it runs for about 90 seconds.
 
2.  Pour 4 oz of the Hot Milk in your mug & stir in the Cocoa, Sugar, & Salt until they dissolve.
 
3.  Securely fasten the Lid onto your GLASS jar & shake VIGOROUSLY for about 10 seconds.
 
4.  Pour the Frothy Milk on top of your Cocoa for a nice Winter treat!
 
If you are using your Microwave to heat the milk, be sure to err on the short side when heating the milk because it can get quite hot. 
 
I STRONGLY recommend using a Mason type canning jar since they are designed to withstand a certain amount of heat and pressure.  HOWEVER, THEY STILL CAN BREAK!!  I'm using an old spagetti jar that helpfully has the measurements on the side. 
 
My plastic container experiment had just a snap on lid.  Perhaps a screw type lid on a plastic jar (ie: PB jar) may work better.  I would do a practice run with water since water is a heckuva lot easier to clean up than Hot Cocoa!  Just be CAREFUL!
 
Until next time,
your favorite neighbor-web Monkey & sous-chef "Lola"