Treats to Give Away: Hot-Chocolate-On-A-Stick

Aren't these the cutest little things you've ever seen? You swirl these sticks in a mug of hot milk and. . . VOILA! Hot chocolate. Mint hot chocolate, actually.

I found this idea on Foodie With Family (Thanks Rebecca! You rock!), and they're pretty easy to make. Just make a pan of fudge, cut it into cubes and skewer them with lollipop sticks from the craft store. Rebecca made her own marshmallows to go on top of the chocolate cubes, so I tried them as well. Making marshmallows isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I quite like it, actually. And they beat the socks off of store-bought ones. That is, if store-bought marshmallows wore socks.

My mind is swirling with flavor combinations for these sticks. Right now I have fudge and marshmallows setting up to be dipped in cinnamon once they're skewered. I love chocolate and cinnamon together. I'd love to do an orange chocolate version, too. Or chocolate with a coconut marshmallow. Or dip the whole thing in caramel. Oh, heavens.

You'll make a lot of friends if you give these out. They're great for neighbor gifts, party favors, school teachers, the girl who does your hair, the girl who does your nails, or the lady who does your dishes -- that's who I'm giving mine to.

Oh wait, that's me. Maybe I should give another one to the lady who vacuumed and did the laundry today. She could use a couple more.



P.S. In a way, I feel like I let you down because of the lack of photos in this post. Getting good photos is tricky when it starts getting dark at 4:30. Sigh. So, if you want more detailed photos of both the fudge cubes and the marshmallows, see Rebecca's post HERE.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick
from King Arthur Flour via Foodie With Family

½ cup heavy cream
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 cups semisweet chocolate (3 cups chopped chocolate bars or chips)
3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate (4 ounces)
wooden sticks, lollipop sticks, candy canes or bamboo skewers
optional, crushed candy canes, marshmallows and/or cocoa powder

Line an 8 x 8-inch pan or a 9 x 9-inch pan with foil and set aside.

Combine the cream and sweetened condensed milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat until it is steaming, but not boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching.

Add all of the chocolate and remove from the heat. Allow the chocolate to melt, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, whisk firmly until it is thick and shiny. You can add a few drops of flavoring extract or oil at this point, or add some powdered espresso or vanilla. Whisk vigorously again to incorporate the flavoring (if used.)

Use a rubber or silicone spatula to spread the mixture out evenly in your prepared, foil-lined pan. Allow to cool at room temperature 12 hours or overnight so that it firms slowly.

Take the fudge from the pan and remove the foil. Place on a cutting board.

Using a knife heated with hot water and wiped dry, cut the fudge into 36 equal-sized cubes. You can either stick a lollipop stick (or candy cane) into the center of each block or leave as is. Additionally, you can press the cut sides of the fudge into crushed candy canes, roll them in cocoa powder or top with marshmallows.

Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.

Nat's Notes:
1. If you use solid baking chocolate (like Baker's), chop it into pieces about the same size as the chocolate chips so they melt evenly. And don't end up with chunks. (oops)
2. If you cut the chocolate into 1-inch cubes, only use 8 oz of milk or else the flavor won't be as strong. I like my hot chocolate kinda rich, so I'm thinking of doing giant cubes next time. :)


Homemade Marshmallows
from Foodie With Family

.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox gelatin)
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners sugar, Cornstarch (optional)

Line 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, add in the vanilla extract beat to incorporate.

Scrape marshmallow into the prepared pan and spread evenly (Lightly greasing your hands and the spatula helps a lot here). Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set.

In a shallow dish, combine equal parts cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar. Remove marshmallow from pan and cut into equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef’s knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners’ sugar mixture.
Store in an airtight container.

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