Chocolate Funk - Chocolate Recipes

Chocolate Recipes

Chocolate recipes for the hot chocolate lover

Most of us, especially those of us lucky enough to have been raised in the North, have been bred to appreciate a good cup of hot cocoa. But Chocolate Funk has uncovered a few chocolate recipes that you have probably never heard of, but will definitely want to try. Next time your little ones come home from a tough afternoon of sledding, give them a big hot chocolate surprise! If neither of the two following chocolate recipes suits their fancy, well, we'll keep updating the recipes until satisfaction is achieved.

This recipe is for White Hot Chocolate and it's a favorite in the Netherlands, for it you will need:

A little more than 4 cups (1 liter) of whole or, if you must, lowfat milk.
1 vanilla pod (might be too hard to find, but can be replaced by a small amount of vanilla extract)
1 cinnamon stick
5 1/2 ounces white chocolate
whipping cream-beaten lightly
a little grated dark chocolate

Just be very careful if you are using vanilla extract in lieu of the pod because too much can really over power the delicate flavor of the white chocolate. You also might want to add a few variations of your own with these chocolate recipes, like a flavored liqueur.

Place the milk in a small saucepan with the vanilla and the cinnamon and gently simmer for 10 minutes, after this time take the vanilla and cinnamon out of the milk.

Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and gently melt them into the hot milk, stirring continuously. Take it off the heat.

If you are using a liqueur, add in a dash of it to each cup you are using then add the milk and top with the whipped cream.

Sprinkle the grated dark chocolate over each cup.

The Spanish really know how to serve up a great cup of cocoa- here's one that's sure to please- Castillian style:

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
7 teaspoons cornstarch
1 quart milk
1/2 cup water

Into a medium saucepan, sift together the cocoa and the sugar, In a separate container dissolve the cornstarch into the water, then stir it into the cocoa and sugar until it makes a smooth paste.

Begin heating the contents over a medium heat, stirring it with a whisk and pour in the milk very slowly. Keep stirring with the whisk as you bring it to a simmer.

Let the chocolate simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it is thick, glossy and totally smooth.

We are certain that you will enjoy these chocolate recipes. They might not be the chocolate recipes that you grew up with but, who knows, maybe they'll become a tradition in your home!