Best Hot Cocoa And Homemade Marshmallows Recipes

HOMEMADE HOT COCOA

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to serving temperature (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk until frothy. If desired, garnish with marshmallows, cream or cinnamon sticks.

CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS RECIPE

Steps:

• Apply a thin layer of butter or coconut oil on a 8 or 9 inch square pan. Alternatively, line the pan with parchment paper.
• Whisk the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder and set aside. You will not need to use all of it for the marshmallows.
• Lightly grease a rubber spatula and a small offset spatula with butter or coconut oil - you'll be using these later.
• Place the water in the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir to saturate the gelatin.
• Set aside for at least 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom. By the time the sugar syrup is ready, the gelatin will have bloomed.
• Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until you have a smooth paste.
• Dissolve the instant coffee in the vanilla extract and stir it in with the cocoa paste to get a smooth mixture. Set aside until needed.
• Place the sugar, golden syrup or corn syrup, salt, and water in a saucepan.
• Gently stir to saturate all of the sugar with the water, or make an "x" in the middle of the pot with your fingertip to allow the water to slowly saturate the sugar.
• Heat the sugar mixture over medium high heat. Swirl the pot to make sure the sugar is dissolving in the liquid.
• Brush the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, OR close the pot with the lid and let the sugar syrup simmer for about 1 - 2 minutes. The condensation will help wash down any sugar crystals on the side of the saucepan.
• Cook the sugar syrup further, swirling the pot frequently (do NOT stir), until the syrup temperature reaches 250 - 252°F with a candy thermometer.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it sit for about 30 - 60 seconds until the bubbles subside.
• Place the mixing bowl (with the bloomed gelatin) in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. While running the mixer on medium low speed, pour the hot sugar syrup along the side of the bowl. The heat from the syrup will dissolve the gelatin. PLEASE BE CAREFUL, as the syrup is very hot.
• Mix the gelatin and sugar mixture for about 1 minute, and then add the cocoa paste.
• Increase the speed to medium - medium high and mix for about 3 - 4 minutes.
• Increase the speed to high (the mixture should be slightly thicker), and whisk for a further 6 - 10 minutes, or until the mixture is ready.
• The mixture is ready when it has doubled in size, and the marshmallow is a pale brown color with a glossy meringue like texture.
• At this point, you should be able to see the marshmallow mix form strings that pull away from the side of the bowl as it's being mixed, and the bowl should still feel a little warm.
• When the marshmallow mix is ready, scrape it all out into the prepared pan using the rubber spatula.
• Working quickly, evenly spread the marshmallow mix in the pan with the offset spatula.
• With a small sieve, sift the mallow mix over the surface of the marshmallow. Make sure the whole surface is coated in a thin, even layer.
• Allow the marshmallow to cure (at room temperature) for at least 6 hours.
• Once the marshmallow is cured, lift it out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Gently peel off the parchment paper from the sides, so it's easier to cut it.
• Cut the marshmallow into the size you prefer. I prefer to cut them into 6 x 6 for 36 pieces.
• Use a clean, dry, sharp knife to cut through the marshmallow, wiping the blade clean between cuts.
• Coat the cut marshmallows with the mallow mix to prevent the sides from being sticky.
• The marshmallows are now ready to be eaten.
• The marshmallows should be stored in an airtight container or jar. Keep them at room temperature. NOT in the fridge or freezer.

CREAMY HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

HOMESTYLE HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan; stir in boiling water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.
• Bring cocoa mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes; stir milk and 1/2 cup half-and-half into water mixture. Cook and stir just until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in remaining half-and-half and vanilla extract.
• Divide cocoa into mugs, top with marshmallows, and serve.

HALLOWEEN HOT COCOA BOMBS

Steps:

• To temper the chocolate: Put 8 ounces of the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is almost melted (about 100 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove from the heat and add the remaining chopped chocolate in 2 or 3 additions, stirring until melted. The tempered chocolate will be thick and about 90 degrees F.
• Divide the chocolate among 2 large 6-cavity silicone hot chocolate bomb molds (2 1/2-inch diameter cavities). Use a small brush to brush the chocolate up the sides, making an even coat on the sides and in the bottom. Make sure the sides are thick enough all the way to the edge of the molds. Let sit at room temperature until completely set, 20 to 30 minutes. (If it is very hot, you can pop the molds in the refrigerator for a minute or two to finish.)
• Wearing latex gloves, gently remove the chocolate half-spheres from the molds. Set on a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Divide the hot cocoa among 6 of the half-spheres, then add 3 or 4 pumpkin marshmallows, 1 ghost, 1 spider and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sprinkles to each of the same half-spheres.
• Warm a small nonstick skillet over very low heat. To seal the bombs, set an unfilled half-sphere on the skillet open-side down for just a second to warm the chocolate. Set on top of a filled half-sphere, matching the seams as much as possible. Repeat with the remaining half-spheres. Let sit until hardened, about 5 minutes.
• To make the marshmallow webs: Put the regular marshmallows in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the marshmallows inflate and soften, 10 to 15 seconds. With gloved hands, pull up a little bit of marshmallow and stretch between your fingers to make thin webbing. Stretch the webbing over and around the bombs. Continue to pull and stretch the marshmallow until all of the bombs are covered in webbing. Add 2 candy eyes or a spider to each, if desired.
• To serve, heat 6 to 8 ounces milk per bomb until very hot. Add to mugs and drop in the bombs. Enjoy, stirring to melt the chocolate.

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH MARSHMALLOW HEARTS

Steps:

• Bring milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until chocolate has melted (do not let boil). Pour into mugs.
• Grease a heart-shaped petit four cutter or aspic cutter with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Cut several marshmallows in half horizontally, and then press the cutter into the center of each one. Float the marshmallows and the cutouts on hot chocolate.