Merry Christmas everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve done a recipe review, and since the holiday is taking up a lot of my time, I figured I’d do a quick one today. Fortunately, it’s both a quick and simple recipe, and a seasonal one you can make to surprise the family tonight!
What is it? Well, you read the title, so you already know: Gingerbread Hot Cocoa. Like another recipe I reviewed in the past, this one comes from Chef John of Food Wishes.
Recipe link: AllRecipes
The recipe itself is super simple and makes 20 cups worth of hot cocoa. The mix is great to save for yourself or use as a gift, and truthfully it’s so simple to make you could put together little jars as party favors in just a few minutes (assuming you have the jars on hand, anyway.)
What do I think of the recipe?
Well, it’s pretty good. Anyone who likes cinnamon or “Mexican” hot chocolate is already familiar with the basic concept. The main differences here are
- It uses some brown sugar in addition to white sugar, unlike a normal hot cocoa mix. This means it can clump up as it’s left to sit for a while, so make sure to stir it nice and well before using it.
- It uses a bunch of ginger, which gives it the signature gingerbread kick. It’s still fairly mild as far as gingerbreads are concerned, but it’s definitely recognizable.
Chef John recommends using a high-quality dutch process cocoa powder, and I have to agree. While you can certainly just use your usual Hershey’s cocoa powder if you like, it’s better to use high quality ingredients when there are only a handful of things in the recipe in the first place.
My verdict? Tasty! In his video, Chef John does say it’s a rather mild version, and I would definitely recommend increasing the spice level (the ginger, clove, and cinnamon) if you really want that potent gingerbread kick.
Definitely give it a try, even if all you want is something a little different from plain old hot cocoa!