Hot chocolate like you've never tasted

This is another recipe that I used with my after-school cooking club. Again, it was the first day so I don't have pictures but this is a delicious recipe. This hot chocolate is not like the swiss miss envelope packets at all. It is so much better than that and totally worth the effort. I got this recipe from my host family when I stayed in Peru during college.

Hot Chocolate (Peru)

Ingredients:

4 oz chocolate de taza, or semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 cups water

4 cloves

2 sticks cinnamon

1 can unsweetened evaporated milk

Sugar to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon nutmeg, grated

whipped cream (optional)

Oats (optional)

Preparation:

1.   Bring the water to boil with the cinnamon and cloves, for 10 minutes.

2.   Add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted.

3.   Add evaporated milk, sugar to taste, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.

4.   Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream if desired, and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or grated chocolate. You can also put oats in the hot chocolate to give it a little bit of texture. My host family from Peru taught me that :)