Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Here's a fun food gift for the holidays. Not only do they make a great cup of hot chocolate, but they're also delicious melted into coffee or eaten on their own, like fudgy cocoa pops. You can roll them in candy canes for peppermint hot cocoa or add a little flavoring oil to make other varieties. And if you're really feeling ambitious, you can make homemade marshmallows and put one on each stick too. Or you can slap a bow on a can of Swiss Miss, that works too (only no one's going to tell you how cute it is and wonder where you came up with such a delightful gift idea).

HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK

Yield: about 3 dozen

½ cup heavy cream (4 oz. or 113 g.)

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)

3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips (18 oz. or 510 g.)

3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped (4 oz. or 113 g.)

optional: flavoring oil (such as hazelnut, coffee or vanilla)

optional: cocoa powder for sprinkling and rolling

optional: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

about 3 dozen lollipop sticks

1.         Line the bottom and sides of an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2.         Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add all the chocolate; allow it to gently melt.

3.         After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. Add a few drops of flavoring oil if desired.

4.         Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly set up.

5.         Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface.

6.         Slice into 1 ¼" cubes. Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest results.

7.         Insert a stick into the center of each block.

8.         Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired.

9.         Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap. Can store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (well wrapped and in an airtight container) or in the freezer for up to 30 days.

10.     To make hot chocolate: dissolve each cube in 6-8 oz. hot milk (to taste) and stir.

from Cocoa Blocks by King Arthur Flour 

pouring sweetened condensed milk into the cream

adding chocolate chips (I used Callebaut bittersweet)

mixed

I almost forgot to add the unsweetened chocolate too.
So I added it when I was reheating the chocolate mixture. Phew!

spread in the pan

the next morning

I only lined the bottom of my pan with parchment and it was
a little hard to remove, so I do suggest lining the sides too.

cutting

some with sticks

rolling one in crushed candy canes

I probably could have crushed them a little finer.

in cocoa powder

I left that one plain on the sides.

mixing into hot milk

hot chocolate...it works!

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