The Best Mochas EVER!

Last night, I wanted chocolate – in a big way. I also wanted coffee. We also had some Strauss Dairy heavy cream that wanted to be used soon. I’d sort of intended to use it for ice cream, but I hadn’t yet gotten around to using it for that purpose. Instead, I had an idea: What if I modified my super-yummy recipe for hot cocoa and added a long shot of espresso to it as a treat before bed?

Before you can say, “Espresso before bed, are you crazy?” Let me assure you that this sleep-deprived mom of an 8 week old still fell to sleep just fine after drinking this mocha. And no, there was no alcohol involved.

Once I finished my web page customization project, I set myself to business in the kitchen. Wining husband took care of the long shots of espresso – he’s very good at making coffee with the espresso machine he brought into the relationship. Meanwhile, I whipped together the cocoa on the stove.

First, I whisked together two tablespoons of cocoa powder and three tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small bowl. I heated a small saucepan over medium heat, and added two cups of heavy cream to the pan. I whisked in the cocoa powder mixture and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Now, if I were making hot cocoa, I would have also added two cups of milk to this mix. Once the cocoa mixture was hot, but not boiling, I turned off the heat and added one cup to the long shots of espresso.

Trust me, you will want to try this recipe. Wining husband sipped his because he enjoyed it so much. This is a man who will gulp down coffee beverages like they are water. It took him a full hour to drink it, and at the end, he exclaimed, “That was the best mocha I’ve ever had.”

There you have it folks, the best mocha ever. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!