The hot chocolate recipe on the back of the cocoa container tastes like bland liquid candy.

This tastes the way hot cocoa should:

Ingredients

• 1 generous cup milk (full-fat is where it’s at)
• 1 tbsp white sugar (just do it)
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (not chocolate drink mix)
• 1/4 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
• 1 tbsp milk for mixing
• few drops peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 20 oz Starbucks City Mug (got ’em cheap at a tag sale)

Preparation

• Microwave the generous cup o’ milk for 1 minute
• Mix dry ingredients in the giant mug
• Stir in just enough cold milk to make a thick mud (*)
• Add peppermint drops using 1/4 tsp measure
• Rinse 1/4 tsp measure with vanilla
• Blend the extracts into the mud (*)
• Stir in warm milk, scraping mud off the mug
• Microwave for another 45 s or so
• Stir to blend

What’s going on:

• More cocoa = more flavor, pure & simple
• Less sugar = more cocoa bite
• Vietnamese cinnamon adds the aroma & zip of those old Atomic Fireballs
• Vanilla smooths the taste
• Peppermint reminds you it’s winter

Sipping a cup in the afternoon banishes the urge to power-nosh anything else until suppertime…

* Update: non-alkalized / non-Dutch-process cocoa doesn’t blend well. Mix up the mud, let it set for 15 minutes, blend again, pause for 5 minutes, then proceed. Wonderfully smooth with no powder bombs.