I have a small confession. For the past couple of weeks now, I've been sneaking off to the kitchen every afternoon to whip up a cup of hot chocolate.
Perhaps it's the darker, colder afternoons sending me in search of a little extra pick me up. Truth be told I have always enjoyed sipping on something hot to get me through those last couple of hours in the work day. In the New Year, green tea with all it's antioxidants will fill my cup. As resolutions wane, that will eventually evolve back to my trusty ol' cup of joe. But in need of something sweet one particularly tough day, I happened upon an unopened box of Swiss Miss hiding in the cupboard and I have to say, my afternoon ritual suddenly turned into well... a delight.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving. I was steeping vanilla beans in some milk that would eventually become custard and I got to thinking about how I might up the ante on my daily treat. Lo and behold, there are dozens of ways to turn that cocoa into a haute cup of chocolate. Here are eight I can't wait to try!