Bring on the Chocolate

It started out as a tea-drinking kind of night - peppermint with just a hint of sugar. But then I got distracted by this amazing recipe for hot chocolate from the smittenkitchen blog and and the tea is now cooling in my cup, a forgotten thought. I mean, it's hot chocolate weather, after all.  And this is not just any old recipe for hot chocolate.  It's seriously one of the best I've had, aside from the divinely perfect Liquid Truffle from French Broad Chocolates in Asheville.  The wonderful thing about this mix is that you can make a huge batch of it and store it for up to two months in an airtight container on your counter.  If you make the batch big enough, that should carry you through the holidays, depending on how often you share it with others.

Mix the following ingredients in a food processor and pulse/grind until crumbly and powdery:

1 cup of white sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used baking chips)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Now how easy was that?

For serving, heat 1 cup of milk and add 3 tablespoons (heaping or level, depending on the richness level you prefer) of chocolate mix and stir. Top with freshly whipped cream.