Nana’s Spanish Style Hot Chocolate (Hot Chocolate Pudding)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2-4 tablespoons sugar, or more, depending on sweet you like it (I prefer raw sugar for the caramel-like flavor it imparts here.)
- 4 tablespoons good quality Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2-4 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch (use less for a more drinkable product and more for a thick, pudding-like finish.)
Optional, for garnish:
- Whipped Cream
- Shaved Chocolate
- Cinnamon Sugar
- Graham Crackers or Pretzels for dipping
Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and arrowroot powder or cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Take care to smash any lumps. Whisk the milk into the powder. The powder will not dissolve in the milk, so don’t worry. The goal is to simply to mix it at this point. Place the pan over a medium flame or heat and whisk constantly. Watch for the following changes. First, the powder will dissolve and it will begin to look like chocolate milk. Next, the mixture will darken and begin to thicken slightly; Take care to scrape the whisk across the bottom and sides at this point to prevent scorching. Finally, the mixture will become very bubbly and thick. When it reaches this point, remove the pot from the burner immediately.
Spoon or ladle immediately into serving dishes. Garnish as desired.