Barcelona hot chocolate - Dairy Foods

As it gets colder here in Minnesota, what better way to enjoy the winter than inside the warmth of your own house, with a fire blazing in the fireplace (or at my house, we burn candles in the fireplace) and a cup of this Barcelona Hot Chocolate from Cooking Light.

This recipe caught my eye because it incorporates coffee. Sure, you can run to the coffee shop down the street and grab a mocha but how amazingly indulgent would this homemade hot chocolate be?

If I had dark or bittersweet chocolate at home I'd make it right now. I will definitely be adding that to my grocery list for the week.

Barcelona Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
2/3 cup boiling water
2 ounces good-quality dark or bittersweet (60 to 70 percent cocoa) chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 2-inch piece orange rind strip
1/4 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Cocoa powder (optional)

Preparation
Combine 2/3 cup boiling water and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan, stirring until chocolate melts. Add milk and next 4 ingredients (through rind); cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk. Heat 5 minutes or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Discard rind. Pour 1 cup mixture into each of 4 mugs. Spoon 1 tablespoon whipped topping over each serving. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired.


{Photo credit: My Recipes / Cooking Light, Randy Mayor}