The Best Hot Chocolate In the World.

I don't know about you, but I'm a hot chocolate snob.  I'm pretty much a chocolate snob in general, but hot chocolate is something I'm especially picky about.  All my life, I thought I hated it.  I knew hot cocoa as a packet you mix with hot water.  (Sorry, mom) Gross.  I've never found a packet I liked.  One day when I was dating my husband, I was at work, quite sick. Being the sweety he is, he thought he would do me a favor and bring me a hot chocolate from the Starbucks across the street.  I had no choice but to drink it. And drink it down, I did.  I was in love.  I made it a point to go to starbucks every time I could, but I was still so bummed that I couldn't have this beautiful concoction anytime I pleased, until one day I found Todd Wilbur's website and the very first recipe I looked for?  Starbucks hot chocolate.  Later, I realized a simple google search also led me to several websites with this recipe.  But here it is....the world's best hot chocolate.

What you'll need:
1/4 cup of water
2 tbsp suger
2 tbsp cocoa powder (this is NOT hot chocolate mix.  It's baking cocoa)
1 and a 1/2 cups of milk
1 tsp  of vanilla

This is such a simple recipe.  Start with your water in a 2 cup measure that is microwave safe.  Add in the sugar and cocoa powder.  Wisk  until it looks like this.  You just made a chocolate sauce.  Microwave for 45 seconds.

See how it measures to be 1/2 cup?  Filler 'er all the way up to the 2 cup line with milk.  Stir, and microwave for another minute.  Take it out, stir it again, and microwave for another minute and a half.  Pour it into two mugs, and enjoy...and share...or enjoy one cup after another.  So yummy!  There's a million delicious things you could add to this to really make it your own.  Caramel sauce, peppermint extract instead of vanilla, or cayenne pepper would be just to name a few!