Be My Guest: Desserts Required

I'm continuing the Be My Guest series of guest posts today with a treat. Of the delicious type. It's my pleasure to introduce a woman who's not only a very talented baker and who has mad photography skills (of which I'm exceedingly jealous), but a really supportive friend.


I first got to know Betsy's blog Desserts Required through The Culinary Content Network, a group that had recruited us both. Where she gets her boundless energy I'll never know (or maybe I do, desserts must be the key) but she's since added vlogger and now business owner of Happylicious by Betsy to her resume. Lucky for me, she found time to write this:

Mom's Special Hot Chocolate

Hello Baking In A Tornado peeps! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be guest blogging while Karen spends some much needed, well deserved time with her family. I have loved Karen's blog from the first moment I read it; her warmth, love and humor shine through with every post.

Desserts Required is all about the sweeter side of life. I wanted to share a recipe that is perfect for our cold winter days, even though my idea of cold here in sunny South Florida may be a tad different from yours.

Mom's Special Hot Chocolate is for all folks who want something rich, decadent and "leaded" not with coffee but with creamy chocolate liqueur. When I drink a cup of hot chocolate I want it to be a consistency telling me that here is actually chocolate heated in it and not just a runny liquid with some kind of powder mixture.

For this reason I included both chocolate chips and cocoa powder to bring a depth of flavor otherwise not found. Chocolate liqueur is added at the end.

I debated topping Mom's Special Hot Chocolate with either marshmallows or an Irish Cream laced whipped cream but realized that this drink is heavenly enough to stand on its own.

Simply eliminate the liqueur when fixing Mom's Special Hot Chocolate, if it's not your thing or you are fixing it for the kids. Believe me, it's still incredibly special.

About the author:

 

Betsy has loved desserts for as long as she can remember. She grew up with the smells of freshly baked challah in her maternal great-grandmother's kitchen, the incredible butter cookies from her paternal grandmother and the perfect pies her mother used to bake when company came over. Today Betsy shares her passion of baking as well as amazing finds of other treats on Desserts Required because, as Betsy always say, "Without desserts, life would not be as sweet!"

Betsy just launched Happylicious by Betsy where she sells eggless~bakeless~ready to eat chocolate chip, peanut butter and gluten free oatmeal raisin cookie dough balls and brownie batter balls. The website is happiliciousbybetsy.com and online orders are available.

Please follow Desserts Required on social media: Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.

Mom's Special Hot Chocolate

                                                                          ©Desserts Required
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (per serving):
The recipe may easily be multiplied to accommodate the number of people being served.

1/2 tablespoon (.20 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon (.20 ounces) cocoa powder
1 cup (8.75 ounces) milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.75 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons (.90 ounces) chocolate liqueur such as Godiva

Directions:
Stir the cocoa and sugar together in a small saucepan. Add 1/3 of the milk and stir until blended.
Add the remaining milk followed by the vanilla and chocolate chips.
Cook over medium high heat until the chocolate has melted and the drink is piping hot.
Remove from the stove and stir in the chocolate liqueur.
Sit back and enjoy a cup of Mom's Special Hot Chocolate.