The Cheater's Guide to Homemade Food

Hot Chocolate with Your Choice of Genius Mix-Ins

Thick and rich homemade hot chocolate does more than just warm you up—it's a dessert in and of itself. But it often requires Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, milk, vanilla and even more ingredients. You can fast-track the process by preparing a package of instant hot-cocoa mix with whole milk. Once the powder is fully dissolved, stir in broken pieces of whatever chocolate you have on hand, or—hold onto your marshmallows, kids—a spoonful of Nutella.

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