Sinless Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate Food

HOT DARK CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk to simmering over medium heat.
• With wire whisk, stir in cocoa, sugar, chocolate, and vanilla. Heat mixture 3 minutes or until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally.
• Pour into warm mugs to serve.
• Variations:.
• Mexican Hot Chocolate:
• Prepare Hot Dark Chocolate as above, but add 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long) to milk in step 1.
• Coffee-Spiked Hot Chocolate:.
• Prepare Hot Dark Chocolate as above, but stir 1/4 cup strong coffee(I use decaf) into chocolate mixture just before serving.

DARK CHOCOLATE HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just before boiling, 3 to 4 minutes. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir dark chocolate into milk until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir cream and cinnamon into milk mixture.

CARAMEL HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Stir milk and caramel in a 1 qt saucepan until well blended.
• Heat over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until hot.
• Pour into 4 mugs.
• Garnish with whipped topping and pecans.

SINLESS DARK CHOCOLATE BOURBON TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
• Microwave chocolate morsels in a small microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) for 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.
• Beat butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat 1 minute. Add milk and, if desired, bourbon; beat 1 minute. (Mixture will look curdled.) Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended. Gradually add cocoa and flour, beating at low speed just until blended.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into batter; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 300° for 45 minutes or until set. (A wooden pick inserted in center will come out with just a few crumbs on it.) Remove torte from oven; immediately run tip of a small knife around edge of torte. Let cool on wire rack 30 minutes. (Torte will rise to top of pan while baking but will sink while it cools.) Remove sides of springform pan.
• Spoon whipped topping into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe dollops of whipped topping around base of torte. Sprinkle torte with powdered sugar and cocoa.
• Note: For testing purposes only, we used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips.

FRENCH STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in 1 cup of milk, over low heat, stirring constantly.
• Gradually add remaining milk and half and half, followed by remaining ingredients, except vanilla and almond extract.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until completely heated.
• Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
• Serve with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

DARK-CHOCOLATE HOT COCOA

Steps:

• Warm milk and cream in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add chocolate. Whisk until melted and combined. Add sugar, and whisk until dissolved. Continue to warm mixture until thick, about 5 minutes. Whisk in nutmeg.