Copycat Starbucks Hot Chocolate Recipe (Quick & Easy!)

Some of you that are parents of little ones will totally understand how this goes.  The kiddos were getting a little stir crazy in the late afternoon, I could see a patch of lovely sunlight coming through the window and it seemed like a great opportunity to go outdoors.

I announced we were going to take the dog for a walk- which leads to the dog going into a frenzy of excitement.  For a normal person, they would grab a leash and a doggie bag- maybe the keys and be out the door in 30 seconds.  For those of us with toddlers, it took about 30 minutes of wrestling into jackets, putting all our treasures that were absolutely imperative to bring into a backpack (such as a Sleeping Beauty snow globe and strawberry hand sanitizer), and a minor tantrum over shoes that were too hard to put on.

So in the span of time it took to get ourselves outside it started to sprinkle.  Our poor little dog was so thrilled to go for a walk, I didn’t have the heart to cancel the adventure.  (You try saying no to this handsome face!) Once we got into raincoats and got umbrellas and now some rain boots- we were finally on the way for a 10 minute walk around the block.

By the time we got home it was fully raining, Mommy was carrying every single thing (including a shattered snow globe, a 3 year old, unspeakable horror inside the doggie bag, and managing the leash of a 100lb dog that thinks it is Christmas) -the kiddos were soggy but ready for round 2 of entertainment.  Mommy was ready for a bath and stiff drink. Normally I might pack them into the car to hit Starbucks for a hot chocolate but this particular day I decided to just try and make it myself at home.

And let me tell you it is SO easy to make at home and you probably already have the ingredients on hand.

I really hope you try this.  It is so rich and creamy and just a perfect little treat to brighten your day.

Here is the recipe for roughly 16oz of hot chocolate.    You could also double this batch and keep it warm in a small crock pot for parties.

And now you can serve it straight or you can serve with marshmallows or mix up a quick batch of fresh whipped cream!

 

PS:  I used 2% milk and I am guessing a 12 oz cup will be about 200 calories.  This still tastes wonderful with nonfat milk and that will bring the calories down to roughly 160.  For extra decadence you could mix a little cream or whole milk but this is already a really rich and creamy drink so I don’t think it needs it. The top deals of similar coffee products are the member-only savings of Costco Ad this week, too.

Here are a few things that might come in handy:

Vanilla Extract // Cocoa Powder

The recipe for the hot chocolate is courtesy of Top Secret Recipes.com.

And here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (these are amazing!)

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars 

Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread