Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (119 page)

Triple Delicious Hot Chocolate

Jennifer Freed

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2¼ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp. salt

3 cups milk,
divided

¾ tsp. vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

1 square (1 oz.) bittersweet chocolate

1 square (1 oz.) white chocolate

¾ cup whipped topping

6 tsp. mini-chocolate chips,
or
shaved bittersweet chocolate

1. Combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and ½ cup milk in medium-sized bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour into slow cooker.

2. Add remaining 2½ cups milk and vanilla to slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 2 hours.

3. Stir in cream. Cover. Cook on Low 10 minutes.

4. Stir in bittersweet and white chocolates until melted.

5. Pour hot chocolate into 6 mugs. Top each with 2 Tbsp. whipped topping and 1 tsp. chocolate chips or shavings.

Crockery Cocoa

Betty Hostetler
, Allensville, PA

Makes 9-12 servings, depending on size of mugs

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups boiling water

3½ cups nonfat dry milk powder

6 cups water

1 tsp. vanilla

mini-marshmallows

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Combine sugar and cocoa powder in slow cooker. Add 2 cups boiling water. Stir well to dissolve.

2. Add dry milk powder, 6 cups water, and vanilla. Stir well to dissolve.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours or on High 1-1½ hours.

4. Before serving, beat with rotary beater to make frothy. Ladle into mugs. Top with marshmallows and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Variations:

1. Add ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg, along with ground cinnamon in Step 4.

2. Mocha-style—Stir ¾ tsp. instant coffee crystals into each serving in Step 4.

3. Coffee-Cocoa—Pour half-cups of freshly brewed, high quality coffee. Top with half-cups of Crockery Cocoa.

Hot Chocolate with Stir-Ins

Stacy Schmucker Stoltzfus

Enola, PA

Makes 12 6-oz. servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-2 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

9½ cups water

1½ cups hot chocolate mix

Stir-ins:

smooth peanut butter

chocolate-mint candies, chopped

candy canes, broken

assorted flavored syrups: hazelnut, almond, raspberry, Irish creme

instant coffee granules

cinnamon

nutmeg

whipped topping

candy sprinkles

1. Pour water into slow cooker. Heat on High 1-2 hours. (Or heat water in tea kettle and pour into slow cooker.) Turn cooker to Low to keep hot for hours.

2. Stir in hot chocolate mix until blended.

3. Arrange stir-ins in small bowls.

4. Instruct guests to place approximately 1 Tbsp. of their choice of stir-ins in their mugs before ladling in hot chocolate. Stir well.

5. Top each filled mug with whipped topping and candy sprinkles.

Vanilla Steamer

Anita Troyer
, Fairview, MI

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes • Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

8 cups milk

⅛ tsp. cinnamon,
or
2 3”-long cinnamon sticks

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

pinch of nutmeg

whipped topping,
optional

sprinkling of ground cinnamon,
optional

1. Put all ingredients except whipped topping and sprinkling of ground cinnamon in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours, taking care to make sure it doesn’t boil.

3. Garnish individual servings with whipped topping and a sprinkling of cinnamon if you wish.

Tip:

I usually make a larger recipe than I will need, and then refrigerate the leftovers. We like it either reheated, or as creamer in our coffee. This drink is very soothing and helps everyone relax!

Viennese Coffee

Evelyn Page

Gillette, WY

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 1½- to 2-qt.

3 cups strong brewed coffee

3 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

1 tsp. sugar

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup crème de cacao,
or
Irish cream liqueur

whipped cream,
optional

chocolate curls,
optional

1. In a slow cooker, combine coffee, chocolate syrup, and sugar.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 2½ hours.

3. Stir in heavy cream and crème de cacao.

4. Cover. Cook 30 minutes more, or until heated through.

5. Ladle into mugs. Garnish if you wish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Desserts and Sweets