It’s 5pm somewhere. As they say. Well, it may be summer in most places, but the moment a chilly quiet night creeps around, I am dying for a mug of cocoa. There’s something about white hot chocolate that makes it seem like the most pleasurable drink in the world. When made correctly, white chocolate hot cocoa can be a creamy, decadent drink. If the chocolate doesn’t melt correctly, or if you add the wrong ingredients, it can also be a grainy, oily concoction. When I came across a recipe that adds vanilla ice cream, I was sold! Two of my fave midnight treats…life can’t get any better.
Even though milk or dark chocolate hot chocolate is great for late-night skating parties and for caroling, as well as those grand afternoons when you get to spend some quality time with your girlfriends, when it comes to the special moments you have to yourself, white hot chocolate is the drink to indulge in. When you’re down, lonely or just feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, you know it’s time to do something special for yourself. When that happens, take a little time out of your busy schedule and relax with a good book, an overstuffed chair and a mug filled to the brim with luxurious, white hot cocoa.
How to Make White Hot Chocolate
Think rich and robust when making white hot chocolate and try to use the finest, richest ingredients you can find. Utilize Ghirardelli chocolate, heavy cream and expensive vanilla beans.
Ingredients:
4 to 6 ounces white chocolate (grated or chips)
1 split vanilla bean
1 to 2 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
1 teaspoon white granulated sugar (optional)
1 cup real dairy whipped topping
¾ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon hazelnut flavored dairy creamer
Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the vanilla bean. Dissolve the sugar in the milk and then slowly add the white chocolate. When the chocolate has melted, add the heavy cream. Add one ice cream scoop very slowly, making sure it’s completely melted before adding the second. When all of the ingredients are melted, pour the hot drink into a glass mug and top with additional whipped topping or mini marshmallows.
If the ice cream changes the texture of the white hot chocolate and you don’t care for that quality, omit the ice cream and add a full cup of milk.
