The perfect excuse to try Hot Chocolate on a Stick!!
Hot Chocolate On A Stick produces delicious blocks of chocolate fudge that can be dissolved in hot milk to produce rich, creamy hot chocolate! This is truly a candy that does double duty: enjoy eating it plain, or use it as a hot chocolate base, or do both!
This clever candy makes a great gift, and you can make endless variations: add large marshmallows to the hot chocolate skewers, roll the fudge blocks in crushed peppermint or cocoa, or drizzle them with white chocolate before packaging.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
18 oz (about 3 cups) chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chips
4 oz (about 3/4 cup) chopped unsweetened chocolate
25 lollipop sticks
Directions:
1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chopped semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolates in a large heat-safe bowl.
2. Pour the heavy cream and condensed milk into a medium saucepan and whisk until combined. Put the saucepan over medium heat.
3. Bring the liquid to a simmer, whisking frequently so that the condensed milk does not scorch on the bottom of the pan.
4. Once the liquid is simmering, pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a minute to soften. Begin whisking the cream and chocolate together, until the chocolate is melted and you have a shiny, smooth mixture. It will be fairly thick.
5. Pour the chocolate into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Allow it to sit and firm up overnight, or for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.
6. Once the fudge block is firm, use a large, sharp knife to cut it into twenty-five pieces (five rows and five columns). For the smoothest cuts, rinse the knife in hot water and dry it between each cut. Skewer each block with a lollipop stick.
7. To make hot chocolate, heat a mug of milk (water does not work well in this instance) and add a chocolate block. Allow it to sit and soften for a minute, then vigorously stir until it is dissolved.
8. Store Hot Chocolate On A Stick in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature, two weeks in the refrigerator, or up to a month in the freezer.
Recipe courtesy of: http://candy.about.com/od/christmascandy/r/Hot-Chocolate-On-A-Stick.htm