I was scavenging recipes for something rich, delicious and hot cocoa like to get ideas to add a little zing to my hot cocoa mix recipe. In my scavenging, I ran across some interesting takes on hot cocoa. Some included white chocolate, others, caramel, but the one I loved most was butterscotch! Then there was the Mexican hot chocolate (love this version). The spices in this one actually inspired my Chocolate Chai recipe using, yes, black tea.
Then I got the mad idea to make a hot chocolate that tastes like the most delicious Jamaican rum cake I made for Christmas. Now, there are various takes on the cake. We like to make the yellow cake with the rum sauce and coconut. The real Jamaican rum cake experience, however, also involves the richest, moistest chocolate cake and rum.
So I concocted a replica of these flavors in a hot cocoa, and it is gonna knock your socks off! Quick note. You can use actual Jamaican Rum for this recipe. I chose to go the route of extract. 😉
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
2 TBS butter
2 TBS brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/2 tsp rum extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
marshmallows or whipped cream topping
Instructions:
Melt butter and then add sugar. Stir allowing sugar to melt in the butter. Slowly add water to the mixture and continue to stir until all sugar is melted. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil gently for 2 minutes. Turn down heat and add cocoa powder. Stir and slowly incorporate milk. Continue stirring until all cocoa is dissolved. Turn off heat and add extracts. Stir to blend. Pour into your favorite mug and add toppings.
I added marshmallows and some grated bittersweet chocolate to mine...divine!
What are your favorite hot cocoa flavors. Let me know in the comments.