American Hot Cocoa

My goal is to go through the "Joy of Cooking" and become a better cook.

The first recipe I came across which I could actually cook, religious restrictions against coffee and tea, is American Hot Cocoa. It is found on page 34 of my edition.

The recipe in "Joy of Cooking" calls for just enough ingredients to make 1 cup of cocoa. I quadrupled the recipe and came up with the following:

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Top with:

• Cinnamon or nutmeg
• Whipped cream or marshmallows

Directions:

1. stir together in a small heavy saucepan the cocoa and sugar
2. Vigorously stir in, first by tablespoons and then in a slow stead stream the milk
3. Heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, over medium heat just until bubbles appear the sides. Remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the vanilla
5. Pour into cups, top with optional topping, enjoy

This is cocoa is a bit thicker and not as sweet as a store bought hot cocoa. I personally found this to be quite delicious with just a bit of cinnamon added to it. My daughter also enjoyed it as is. We found who the sweet tooth in our family is, as my wife needed to add 4 teaspoons more sugar and more milk to her cup.