Hot Chocolate Sticks [recipe]

Happy Monday!

Running through the candy cane forest…

Thanks to Pinterest, I had to drop everything I was doing and make these adorable hot chocolate sticks. They were just too cute and would make the perfect party favors for the upcoming Holiday party I’m hosting.

Detailed instructions and pictures here, from 30 Pounds of Apples.

Unlike a lot of the comments listed there, I had no problem at all with making these. My mixture didn’t seize up, and regarding mixing the melted chocolate together with the dry ingredients, it was indeed a bit difficult as the mixture turned very thick, but work those muscles and ultimatey it all came together like a brownie mixture as described. I do think I could’ve used slightly less dry ingredients but overall this was very easy and the hot chocolate tastes rich and decadent.

Some things I did differnetly :

1. I tried to melt and re-shape some marshmallows but that failed miserably. I ended up topping the cubes with some chocolate curls instead.

2. Used peppermint candy canes instead of regular sticks.

3. I prefer dark chocolate so I used 4 oz milk chocolate and 12 oz of dark chocolate. Also by using chocolates with higher fat content will work better with this.

Hot Chocolate Sticks
Adapted from Giver’slog

Makes 15-16 sticks

Supplies
sticks (at least 5 inches long)
piping bag or sandwich bag with 1/2″ corner cut off
ice cube tray or deep candy mold, each cavity approximately 1 ounce

Ingredients
9 oz. milk chocolate (not chips)
7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (not chips)
1.5 oz cocoa powder
4.5 oz powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
mini marshmallows

• In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, powdered sugar, and salt. Set aside

• Chop chocolate into small pieces (no larger than about 3/4″ inch long) and combine in a glass bowl that is completely dry. Microwave in 30 second bursts on 50% power, stirring between each burst, ensuring that your spatula is also completely dry. Once chocolate is about 2/3 melted (there are still some chunks in the melted chocolate), stir until remaining chunks melt. This prevents the chocolate from getting too hot.

• Pour melted chocolate into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Mixture will be very thick, similar to brownie batter. Spoon mixture into a piping bag (no coupler or tip is needed) or into a sandwich bag with the corner sliced off. Pipe the chocolate into an ice cube tray.

• Once all chocolate has been piped, pound the tray lightly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles and to flatten the tops of the cubes if they are uneven. Working one cube at a time, insert a stick and place four mini marshmallows onto the top of the cube. Once all cubes are complete, set aside until cubes are completely dry. You can also place them in the fridge if you are in a hurry.

• Once all cubes are dry, remove carefully from the molds. Wrap pretty and store in the cupboard.

To Use:
Heat up 1 cup milk (approximately 1 ounce of chocolate should be used for each cup of milk, so adjust based on the weight of your cube) and stir in. Cube will take several minutes to dissolve completely.

Next time I make these, I will try out different variations, like add in some espresso powder, cinnamon, or a pinch of cayenne.

Wishing you all lots of good holiday eatings!