Tag: how to

Chocolate.

 

Is there anything more comforting, delicious, or decadent than chocolate?  Just the word gives me warm fuzzies.  Yeah, I know, kinda pathetic, but I can’t help it.  I was raised by a man whose love for chocolate was surpassed by his love for God and family.  My sisters and I all love it close to as much as he did.  My mom likes the smell of sour mop and root canals, so let’s just say she probably doesn’t care about chocolate as much as we did.  We were definitely introduced to a love for the sweeter things in life from dear ol’ dad.

 

Now Milkman?  Oh my goodness, Mr. Sweet Tooth himself.  He loves him some sugar, more than I do.  Milkman likes chocolate syrup.  He puts it in his chocolate milk, ice cream shakes, and his amazing Saturday mochas he makes me.  My mother never bought chocolate syrup, so I have cringed a little at the thought of it because it says “Chocolate Flavored Syrup.”  Why is it chocolate FLAVORED?  That strikes me as kind of nasty, doesn’t it you?

 

I’ve talked about my mother making coffee for the grandkids that is mostly milk, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream with a little coffee, but my mom never gives the kids processed stuff, so I asked her where she got her chocolate syrup and she informed me, she makes it herself!  This was a weird concept to me, not because she made it from scratch–my mom makes everything from scratch, but I’ve just never thought to make my own chocolate syrup.

 

I ordered some cocoa powder on Amazon last week (By the way, buying your cocoa powder as an add-on item on Amazon is the cheapest way to get cocoa powder, click here for the link.  Way cheaper than the grocery store).  It comes in a giant container, and you can make allllll the chocolatey things with that much cocoa powder on the cheap, so I decided to make a grip load of chocolate syrup, and let me tell ya… It’s a beautiful thing, my friends.  Rich, thick, delicious and definitely CHOCOLATEY, not chocolate FLAVORED.

 

I’ve been putting it in my coffee with cream, or in my espresso for a yummy mocha, drizzled on ice cream, or yes– even just plain old bad for you chocolate milk.

 

Here’s how I made it:

1 1/2 Cups of Water

3 Cups of Sugar

1 1/2 Cups of Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract

Good Pinch of Kosher Salt

 

In a pot, mix together the water and the sugar until boiling and a syrup forms.  As it begins to boil, whisk in remaining ingredients.  (It can get a little messy if your pot isn’t very big, cocoa powder kinda gets everywhere!)  Whisk til smooth, and simmer til slightly reduced.  Pour into a heat proof container (I always have a million glass jars hanging around, so that’s what I used.) and let cool on the counter.  It’ll reduce as it sits and thicken up.  Once it is cooled, throw it in the fridge.  Pour onto and into ALL the things, live in chubby bliss.