Raspberry Hot Chocolate

Cooking is one of my very favorite things. I don't like recipes very much (like in cookbooks) because they usually involve ingredients that I don't really like, such as sour cream and mayonnaise (sorry to those who really enjoy those things). Instead, I find my favorite tastes and dishes at restaurants and I create my own recipes. I usually enjoy these a lot more than any recipe I can find in a cookbook, and I hope you will too!

A word of warning: I really feel strongly about using homemade ingredients and giving food time to "blossom" in flavors. I don't like short cuts (very often) and so if you want things done quickly, you probably won't get that from my recipes! However, they are also "easy," in that once you've done the chopping and the mixing, they usually can be ignored for several hours.

This one, however, is pretty quick and easy, despite everything I just said. :)

Raspberry hot chocolate is a great winter drink. It's warm, soothing, and the mix of the chocolate and raspberry is just wonderful. It can be made very easily for a nice bedtime snack or a group of friends.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
4 tbsp. water
1 tsp. raspberry extract (or to taste)
1.5 cups milk

Directions:
Mix together the first three ingredients in a medium saucepan. Let it cook until it bubbles gently. Then, add the extract and milk and heat on low until warm. Serve! It's that easy.

If you don't really like raspberry, you can use vanilla, strawberry, mint, or whatever kind of flavoring suits you. Or none at all. Mix and match!