Hot Chocolate - The Real Deal!

It was Christmas break and we were at the in-laws. My father-in-law has a serious thing for hot chocolate so I decided to bring this recipe along so we could share the rich deliciousness... and that's exactly what we got.

Wittamer Hot Chocolate
adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate

1/2 gallon 2% milk
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 tsp cinnamon
(don't forget the whipped cream)

1. Put 1 c. milk and the chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the chocolate is melted, add the remaining milk and cinnamon. Stir well.
2. That's it! Throw it in a cup and load it up with your favorite whipped cream.
















This is my cup... before I added more whipped cream. :)

Buttermilk Scones

I just watched Julie & Julia! What a great movie with serious pictures of how my baking and cooking adventures sometimes turn out. In honor of this great movie, I have decided to bake my way through The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz. I chose this book because I have a problem. A serious problem if I can't slow down... I have a bad habit of buying cookbooks. Lots of cookbooks and typically the more pictures, the better. In an attempt to take the heat off my debit card and the weight out of my cookbook chest, I am going to bake all the recipes in this one before I can buy another. Of course, this is much easier since I just purchased one tonight. :)

Recipe adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz

Craisin, Chocolate and Buttermilk Scones

2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp orange zest
1 stick of butter
1/2 c. craisins
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
2/3 c. buttermilk


Add all the dry ingredients together, mix. Add in the butter and mix until it looks mealy like cornbread. Add the buttermilk, until it sticks together, add the chocolate chips and craisins. Turn out onto a floured surface, shape into a round 1" thick, slice into 8 wedges using a knife dipped in flour or it will stick! I painted the surfaces with room temperature butter and cinnamon then topped with a sprinkling of sugar. Bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes. Eat!

Sea Salt Caramels

It's Sunday, I have Pandora on and like many Sundays, I can't resist baking,I've been in such a homemade gifts mode. Today I'm trying out Sea Salt Caramels found at The Nibble. Chopper is laying on the kitchen floor eager for me to start my next baking project of the day, cookies for him.

Keep an eye on the thermometer on this one! How are you supposed to keep the delicious looking goo from going over 250 when you have to cook for 15 minutes? So... here we go.

• 1 cup heavy cream (I used ultra pasteurized, it's what was in the fridge)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water

I like to fold the parchment so it stays in place and I'm not cutting it to allow spaces for my precious caramel to escape.

This is where you add the cream to the sugar, it will bubble up.



Done! Now I have to wait a whole two hours for them to cool so I can cut them into little pieces with an oiled knife and dip them in chocolate. Then a sprinkling of sea salt and voila! deliciousness.