Malted Hot Cocoa Mix

Ok first things first.  This makes a HUGE batch.  When I tell you it is huge, I mean, it will likely be enough to have your entire neighborhood over for hot cocoa for a week.  I can't help it, I will explain why.

Many of you may know (or may not) that I am the youngest of 10 kids.  (insert applause and a curtsy)  Well, money is tight in a family of 10 and things were far different then.  The items to make this mix were cheap.  Nowadays, not near as cheap when you consider that you can get a 10 pack or something of hot cocoa mix in a box at the dollar store.  BUT, you won't find any that tastes this rich, this sweet, this creamy, and delicious.  This doesn't come out of a box!   So anyway, as I was saying, my mom made this all winter for us.  I mean, it was a household crisis when the bowl was empty.  This is the exact bowl she made and stored it in.....  Or was it green?  No, pretty sure it was the yellow one!

Remember these bowls?  Good ol' Tupperware.  This sat right in the middle of the literally 3 feet of counterspace my mom has in her kitchen.  Imagine a house with 2 bathrooms, and technically 7 bedrooms having a kitchen the size of most peoples bathrooms.  It is true, and still is.  So when I called my mom to get her recipe, she replied with, "OH CHRIS, I have no idea", I said, "Mom, seriously?  You made like 20 bowls a winter of this stuff every winter for like 25 years".  She responded only with, "I can't help it, I don't remember".  Remember when you would say that as a kid and you would get, "forgetting is not an excuse"?  Well I knew better than to go there so I turned to Facebook and my sisters.  I sent a group message asking if anyone knew how mom made it.  I knew a couple of the ingredients but not all.  One sister said creamer, one said powdered milk, another said there was some powdered sugar and that when she makes it she uses malt powder.  Another sister just got a boob job and only chimed in with something like "deliver me some to my sofa".  As if.  So I bought all the ingredients I could think of and decided to go to town and experiment.  Thank goodness one of said sisters was coming over for coffee and I had 3 mugs of hot chocolate out for her to try.  We both agreed, the first was not chocolaty enough, the second wasn't sweet enough but the third one was perfection.  PER-FECTION.   So to my mom, I have a message for you lady, "I don't NEED your recipe, I made my OWN".  She would be laughing for the record, I often lovingly poke fun at my mom here, and she loves it!  One time I got a private email about being disrespectful to my mother, and how horrible I was and yadda, yadda, yadda   read it to my mom and she died laughing, and said, "they DO know this is just how we are right"?  I said, "obviously not"!! 

Without further adieu I will give the recipe for this hot chocolate that may not be the original recipe but it brings back the original memories of Saturday and Sunday nights with popcorn and hot chocolate.  Thanks mom for this memory, I bet you had no idea that 30 some years later I would still be remembering it!

Did I mention this makes a HUGE batch?  I did?  Ok, good.  I mixed mine up in my stand mixer because I just try to find any excuse to put Tina to work.  But my mom did it in a huge bowl with a wooden spoon.  No biggie at all.

6 cups powdered milk

5 cups regular non dairy coffee creamer (powdered)

4 cups Nesquik Chocolate Drink Mix  (the stuff with the bunny on it!)

13 ounce container of chocolate malt powder

1, 3.9 oz. box of instant chocolate pudding

3 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients well, and store in an airtight container or glass jars.  Use 1/4 cup of the mixture to one 8-10 ounce size mug of hot water.  You might prefer a bit more or a bit less but that is just kind of an average amount.  Top it with whipped cream or marshmallows and feel like a kid again!

ENJOY!



Tiramisu Cupcakes

Hey all!!

A week or so ago we had a conversation on Facebook (if you don't follow me there you should) about different flavors of cupcakes people wanted to eat.  We had everything from cherry filled chocolate to caramel filled, to ganache topped, to peanut butter frosted, to everything in between!  A few sounded quite delicious to me and I wanted to give them a try.  I am this infatuation with cupcakes.  I have no idea where it came from and, no, I don't see it stopping anytime soon.  I like individual portions of anything I guess, so that probably seeded it in my mind!

These cupcakes are quite simple, and quick.  They don't take many ingredients, and mascarpone cheese is so readily available now, that, that won't even be a problem.  You will need to LOVE coffee, and there are a couple of little steps but nothing that can't be handled by even a beginner.

Let's get started, on the cupcake version of one of my favorite desserts, shall we?

You will need:
White cake mix
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. espresso powder
1/2 cup water
8 oz.. mascarpone cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3=4 T milk
toothpick
cocoa powder for chocolate snow!

Bake your cupcakes according to package directions.  While they are baking, in a small saucepan, combine water, granulated sugar and espresso powder.  Whisk together constantly and bring to a boil.  Once it has boiled remove from the heat and let cool.

When the simple syrup is cool, using a toothpick poke a few holes into each cupcake.  Then, using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cupcakes.  Do this several times until all of your simple syrup has been used.  It will take about 20 minutes for the liquid to full soak into the cupcakes.  Let sit while you prepare your frosting!

In a bowl combine, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Mix until all combined, then start adding your milk.  You can continue beating, and stop adding milk when the icing has become your desired consistency. 

I piped my frosting on, you can do whatever makes  your toes curl.  Dust lightly with cocoa powder and there you have them.  DELISH!

You could even top these with a chocolate covered coffee bean!

ENJOY!

Ba