I enjoy hot chocolate in the winter. I don't enjoy trying to keep milk in stock,* or washing out a pan used for heating it for just one cup of cocoa, so that means the instant stuff.
One good trick for solving weak instant is to add a teaspoon of coffee creamer. But the other problem with many brands is they're loaded with sugar. And the fix for that? A little more coffee creamer, a little more hot water -- and a level teaspoon or less of plain, unsweetened cocoa powder. That kicks it up to something better suited to an adult palate, in my opinion, and I'm still not having to mess around heating up milk.
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* For some reason, UHT shelf-storable milk has become mildly scarce at my corner store. It's still the best choice if you like to have milk handy but don't use it often.
Update
11 months ago
3 comments:
"add a teaspoon of coffee creamer" Liquid or powder?
Have you tried "Klingon coffee"? Basically half cocoa and half coffee.
Rumor has it that Kahlua is an acceptable adulterant in some instances. Or a splash of vanilla or a pinch of cayenne for some excitement. Why should the kids have all the fun?
Kept in a sealed container, powdered milk lasts forever. It makes a totally unpalatable liquid milk; I started using it as coffee whitener because half 'n half was going bad too quickly. And the bread machine recipe calls for powdered milk, too.
Powdered creamer. I still prefer shelf-stable versions of milk products; I don't use enough of them to avoid excessive waste when I buy fresh.
"Klingon coffee" sounds like good old mocha to me, an okay treat. Coffee with eggnog is better, in my opinion.
They started putting expiration dates on powdered milk and it seems to go off quickly once opened, even if kept in a zip-seal bag. The one-cup boxes of UHT milk are a better value
"powdered milk lasts forever" I just realized I'm thinking of non-fat instant milk, not whole milk. That may explain the difference in our respective powdered milk longevity. And palatability, which is why mine is strictly for coffee and cooking. Just looked in the pantry: the stuff I bought two weeks ago has a best-by date of July 2027.
I'll have to try coffee with eggnog. It sounds interesting.
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