Hi.
I’m dying to tell you about this boozy hot cocoa, but I drank my way down a few mugs and am currently trying to crawl my way out.
Like everything else this week, it wasn’t my idea… a bunch of you [like Allison] looked at me [virtually] as if I was insane for not putting the marshmallow vodka in hot chocolate.
I’m so glad I have smart invisible internet friends!
No more words.
Except… GET IT.
Grown Up Hot Chocolate
Yield: serves about 6
Total Time: 15 minutes (without marshmallows)
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups cream or half and half
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4-6 ounces of marshmallow (or vanilla, cake, whipped cream) vodka
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add milk and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the milk to the cocoa and sugar, mixing thoroughly to create a paste. Once the entire thing is wet, use a spatula to add it to the milk and turn the heat down to low. Whisk continuously until smooth (do not let it boil), the whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.
Remove from heat and whisk in vodka, or add to each glass right before serving. Top with marshmallows and whipped cream.
For the Bailey’s marshmallows, I used this exact recipe for beer marshmallows, substituting Bailey’s for beer.
That up there? That’s what happens when you have a food blog. I don’t want to hear it. And yes, you are more than welcome to come do my laundry.
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
Looks amazing! I now have to go buy some of this flavored vodka! I think I will go with the cake flavor, yum!
Reply
This ALMOST makes being a grown-up worth it.
Almost.
Reply
Amazing!!!!!!
Reply
I have the same dinnerware as you, although my mugs have never looked so good! I will definitely remedy that this afternoon, by wow ing my guests wi this! you are a genius
Reply
OMG, this looks amazing….ok, I am going to get that marshmallow Vodka today. This is great for the holidays!
Reply
I’ve always thought homemade marshmallows were hard to make? But, you did it, so I’m assuming they can’t be that hard???
Reply
I’m getting that vodka NOW! It’s not cold enough yet in Texas for hot chocolate, but it is just right for vodka chocolate! ;-) On another note, I love those cups, and I’m looking for new dinnerware. After 20 years of marriage, it’s time for new dishes. The Pfaltzgraf just isn’t working for me anymore….sigh…Please tell me more about your cups, and do you have dishes and serving pieces to match? As always…your blog is the one of my favorites. Not only are your recipes fabulous, your writing is witty and amusing! Because of you, I always start my day with a smile. Thanks!
Reply
Jessica — November 13th, 2011 @ 10:39 am
Thank you!! Yes – these are my dishes that we got for the wedding… they are Lenox Butler’s Pantry! Have the whole set.
Reply
I’ve never liked being a grown up so much before in my life.
Reply
I am FINALLY making this today. In fact, right after work I’m stopping at the liquer store just to buy this stuff. So at least I know, no matter how bad today turns out, I have something wonderfully amazing to look forward to afterwards. All I can say is, thank you!
Reply
Yeah, adding marshmallow vodka to hot chocolate is crazy! Crazy in a good way! LOL!
Reply
Um, I’m kind of in love with you. No, really in love. With you and with the whipped cream vodka you introduced into my life. Bless you, How Sweet, bless you and your boozy marshmallows, too!
Reply
I’m too young for alchohol…but the flavored marshmallows are so cool!
Reply
I loveee hot chocolate and this is SO PRETTY! Looks amazing :-)
Reply
Baileys marshmallows?! A. mazing. I want to make these right now….yum!
Reply
OK, so, unsurprisingly, I’ve been wetting my pants over this since you posted it to Instagram yesterday. Then I had a reality check moment and realized that it was similar to the excitement I feel when I fall in love with an awesome sweater…that it’s SO RARELY going to be cold enough for me to enjoy tis. The sadness I feel about the fact that I have to wait two weeks till I’m in colder temperatures at Thanksgiving to enjoy this was deep. But then I realized that I get to drink this AS I wear my new awesome sweater and it’s like…I think it will be better for me than anyone else, just because I have to wait it out.
Also this should probably be my new desktop background now that the season for the pumpkin bourbon milkshakes has passed.
Reply
Having just celebrated my 21st birthday I cannot wait to try these out! I think your sweet tooth rivals mine, and let me say I LOVE IT!
Reply
Beautiful!! Yum!!!
: )
Julie M.
Reply
oh man. this is heaven.
Reply
omg, YUM! hot cocoa is the best thing ever. Ive been known to drink it in the summer (oops!). but if definitely tastes better when its cold out and theres a light layer of snow on the ground and your cuddling with the one you love. :)
good thing Im missing two of the above. *sigh*
Reply
I am SO glad I found this blog! Making that recipe tomorrow!
Reply
ahhhh i KNEW this was coming. ok, so since it was my idea for you to make it, how about you just come down here and bring me a mug?? yes?
Reply
awesome! I want home made marshmallows now!
Reply
Um. They make marshmallow vodka? How was I not aware of this? Is it wrong that as I sit sipping my virgin Swiss Miss I want one of these instead? Right now. At my desk. At work? Do you deliver?
Reply
I just bought a bottle of Pinnacle Marshmallow Vodka over the weekend…and was wondering what to do with if when my college roommate visits later this week… thanks to this post, I have found inspiration! Thank you!! It looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it and blame the consumption of calories on my friend’s visit :)
Reply
You know what I did yesterday? Bought marshmallow vodka. Actually, my husband went to the liquor store and bought it for me, but whatever. This. Looks. So. Good. You are brilliant!
Reply
Yes I’m drooling at the computer, wishing I could have a cup of this NOW! But knowing me I’d probably just eat all the marshmallows first :)
Reply
Can I just say this looks epic? And that I bought whipped cream vodka today.
Reply
Yumm…this looks so good. I recently received a sample of torini flavored syrup from She Speaks…I have been looking for creative ways to put it to use and I think this might be a good one! (PS – the holiday themed syrups are really fun – gingerbread and salted caramel – give them a try!)
Reply
holy yum.. this looks so fancy and sooooo yummy!
Reply
Im on my way to the gym but stopped for a moment to look at this. You know I dont have a sweet tooth unless it involves liquids and alcohol…so you got me on this one. This is too good to be true and to painful to look at right now but will be the first thing I do on a very cold night or maybe semi cold….its so beautiful and Baileys is my weakness.
Reply
Wow!! Those marshmallows would make the best homemade gifts. I wouldn’t mind a bit mug of hot chocolate right now, either. :)
Reply
Oh boy, that looks utterly delicious. I am going tos ee if I can find that wodka around here too. Yumm
Reply
Wow. That looks amazing. I have never thought of making boozy marshmallows before! You learn a new thing each day, right? Right! :)
Reply
This just totally made my day. I’ve never even made my own marshmallows before, and now I have to just so that I make this. Yummmm.
Reply
tried to make these marshmallows with agar flakes last night (i just… no to gelatin …not a veg but just no) but it was a fail. any idea what might work better?
Reply
Jessica — November 21st, 2011 @ 12:49 pm
Unfortunately I have no idea… I’m really not even familiar with gelatin so I have no clue what could be substituted. And all the vegan marshmallow recipes I’m looking at call for the agar!
Reply
I only have like 5 personal minutes to myself each week and yet I consistently find myself reading your blog, copying your recipes to make later, and then thanking you (silently) that you exist and blog… so, thank you thank you thank you thank you!!
Reply
Jessica — November 23rd, 2011 @ 5:46 pm
Thank YOU!
Reply
So – I was intrigued, but skeptical. From everything I’ve learned about marshmallows, they don’t /work/ if there’s fat in the recipes. It was on a Good Eats episode – it stops the gelatin from trapping the air, therefore they don’t get all soft and fluffy. But – HEY! BAILEYS! So I tried it anyways.
The first thing I noticed – when boiling the Baileys with the sugar, the milk solids cooked out and browned. This was bit off-putting, but I don’t think it adversely affected the final product. After whipping the sugars for 10 mins, though, I was able to /pour/ the mix into the pyrex dish – not normal marshmallow behavior. As I expected, the marshmallows were rather… flat, and no where near as fluffy as they should have been. They taste /amazing/, don’t get me wrong! But I’m wondering if you got a different result?
I put these marshmallows on my sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, by the by. OMG.
Reply
Linda — December 11th, 2011 @ 11:53 am
The same thing happened to me. I’ve made plain marshmallows before, and they turn out nice and light and fluffy. With the bailey’s, the gelatin just didn’t “bloom”. These marshmallows are heavy and thin…but taste good. I’m going to make Bailey’s whipped cream instead.
Reply
Megan — December 13th, 2011 @ 11:01 am
I tried the marshmallow recipe this weekend and I thought they were a bit flat too. But when I checked back today, mine did look like the ones pictured above. I noticed that the ‘mallows didn’t float (I guess b/c they are denser than commercial ‘mallows). I think I’ll try them again, maybe without as much Bailey’s. But these are delicious, my husband thought they were reminscent of Bailey’s flavored Peeps :)
Love Love Love your blog! Sooo many delish recipes!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Reply
Julia — December 29th, 2011 @ 10:48 pm
Glad to see this. Mine EXPLODED and I had to switch pans TWICE. *Sigh* forgot about that whole dairy explosion situation. Gah! The mix tasted yummy, though!
Katherine — December 23rd, 2012 @ 4:26 am
So happy you mentioned this! I thought I was the only one, since I was looking at how fluffy the beer marshmallows were but then I checked back here and saw hers were flatter, and you had the same result! Thanks :)
Reply
this sounds sooo bomb!! I would also suggest trying voli vodka’s hot cocoa its crazy good!
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/10-warm-drinks-wont-pack-pounds?page=2
Reply
This looks so delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Greetings from Bremen.
Reply
Anyone know the pattern for those cups? Beautiful!
Reply
Great pics!! love them!!! and just one question…….. how can something sound so good and so wrong at the same time!….. can’t wait to make this!
Reply
Your grown up hot chocolate looks divine! I admit to recently trying smirnoff’s whipped creme vodka (seeing the miniatures, they looked interesting) to make some delicious white russians.
Reply
You just got a new subscriber!!! Can’t wait to see more recipes!! Looks like recipe that hubby and I will want to try!
Reply
Absolutely love ur recipes involving the flavored vodka. For months I’ve been adding it to hot cocoa, but this recipe will defiantly turn heads. I can’t wait to see what my hubby thinks. Thanks so much for making these available.
Reply
I am a minor so I did not add the marsh mellows, but I made the hot chocolate and it was fantastic! Thank you soooooo much!
Reply
I was thinking of using Kahula instead of Bailey’s. Should I still use one cup of Kahula?
Reply
I make a white russian marshmallow that would go great in these!
Reply
I add butterscotch schnapps to my hot chocolate. . . liquid turtle with some kick!
Reply
Oh so wonderful and nice pictures. I love it!
Reply