Slow Cooker Peppermint Cocoa
Stir it together after lunch and the house smells like the holidays by the time the sledders come in. Everyone fills their own mug, the kids pile on the toppings, and nobody has to stand over a pot.
What you'll need
- 8 cups (1.9 L) whole milk
- 2 cups (475 ml) heavy cream
- 0.75 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 0.75 cup (150 g) sugar
- 1.5 cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1.5 teaspoons (7 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 0.75 to 1 teaspoon (4-5 ml) peppermint extract, to taste
- 0.25 teaspoon salt
- Toppings: whipped cream or mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, and candy canes for stirring
How to make it
Whisk the cocoa, sugar and salt in the slow cooker. Whisk in about 1 cup of the milk to make a smooth paste so there are no lumps.
Whisk in the rest of the milk, the cream and the chocolate chips.
Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, whisking every 30 minutes, until it is steaming and the chocolate has melted. Don't let it boil.
Stir in the vanilla and 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint. Taste it, and add more peppermint a drop at a time if you want it stronger.
Turn it to warm and ladle it out as people come in. Whisk it each time you go back for more.
Warm everything in a large pot over medium-low heat, whisking often, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the extracts at the end.
Glass: Mugs. Garnish: Whipped cream, a pinch of crushed candy cane and a candy cane to stir with.
Chef's secrets
Add the peppermint at the end. Heat dulls it, and a little goes a long way.
Set out a toppings bar so the kids make their own.
For grown-ups, add 1 oz peppermint schnapps to a mug, not to the pot.
Good to know
Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days. Rewarm them gently in a pot or on low.
It holds on warm for up to 2 hours. Whisk it now and then, because the cocoa settles.
