OutdoorX4 contributing backcountry chef Glenna Barron shares her hot chocolate recipe to enjoy at home or at basecamp

It’s a cold winter day, you’re above 6,000 feet and when you get to the fire lookout, there’s snow. Glorious snow. And it’s nippy up there. Put on wooly mittens and hat, pull out the chairs and table, camp stove, a pot and stirrer, and some mugs.

It’s time to get serious about seriously good hot chocolate. Don’t even think of opening a packet of pre-mixed hot chocolate and tossing it into hot water. Just don’t. Not when it’s simple to have a sublime hot chocolate experience. Hot chocolate or hot cocoa? There is a difference: At its simplest, hot chocolate is crafted from chopped unsweetened, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate bars melted into hot whole milk or a milk alternative like barista blend soy milk.

Hot cocoa, made from unsweetened cocoa powder, is hot chocolate minus most of the cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is what gives chocolate richness, since it is a fat. Natural and alkalized (Dutch processed) cocoa powder are both good in hot cocoa, though the natural powder has a more acidic, fruity quality that some hot cocoa fans prefer. The alkalized form reduces the acidity, making it darker and, for some, it tastes richer.

Both hot chocolate and hot cocoa can be as self-indulgent as you desire, even to the point of making them with cream instead of whole milk, or going the European route and adding cornstarch and milk powder to the chocolate and milk mixture. Hot chocolate, using chocolate bars, is probably easier to make on the trail. There’s no mixing the cocoa powder carefully with a small amount of heated milk. Not that it’s a deal-breaker.

What are the secrets to heavenly hot chocolate?

• Use the best quality 60% to 70% dark chocolate bars you can find. Look for fair trade, organic chocolate. It is almost always ethically sourced in an industry where child slavery is common.
• Here’s the ticket to the most flavorful, smooth-textured and rich hot chocolate: boil twice. The milk (or milk alternative) gets whisked and boiled first. After the chocolate is whisked into the milk, turn the heat down and allow the chocolate mixture to come to a gentle boil. Be watchful during the boiling and use a tall pot. Turn the heat down at the first sign the milk or chocolate mixture is beginning to rise too much in the pot. Too much heat will cause the milk or milk/chocolate mixture to rapidly foam up and spill out of the pot.
• Use whole milk, half-and-half milk, or barista blend milk alternatives. A dairy-free choice compromises nothing in taste. Barista blend milk alternatives like soy milk are designed for use in coffee, have richness and a lot of body, and foam delicately when heated and whisked. Pacific Foods Barista Series works well. In Canada, try So Nice Barista Blend. Non-barista milk alternatives should work, but you will need to experiment.
• Add sweetener to taste, but the sweetener rule is, “Start low, go slow.” Too much sugar can easily overpower a divine cuppa. Sweeten with cane sugar, Sucanat®, brown sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup or honey. Start with a half teaspoon per cup of hot chocolate.
• Feeling experimental? Add a pinch of one of these powdered, freshly ground spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper powder or cardamom.
• Want to ramp up a notch further on a sublime taste experience? Add a tablespoon or more per cup of hot chocolate of Bailey’s Irish Cream®, Kahluá®, Peppermint Schnapps, Disaronno Amaretto®, whiskey or rum.
• Add whipped cream and marshmallows to the top of the hot chocolate.

Ridiculously Delightful Hot Chocolate for Four
This recipe makes rich, thick hot chocolate. If you like it thinner, add more hot milk/milk alternative.

• 2 cups (568 ml) whole milk, half-and-half or barista blend milk alternative
• 5.25 ounces (about 1 cup, 1½ 3.5 ounce bars or 150 g) 60% to 70% dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
• Pinch of salt
• Sweetener to taste

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, boil milk (or milk alternative). As it begins to boil, whisk it and lower heat to medium.

Add the chocolate to the milk (or milk alternative), whisking briskly until it is melted. Bring chocolate mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, continuing to whisk. Add sweetener and spice(s) at this stage, if desired.

Pour hot chocolate into four mugs. If desired, add alcohol and stir. Top mugs with whipped cream, marshmallows or just keep them plain.

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