Food Recipes Slow-Cooker Gingerbread Hot Chocolate 4.8 (5) What’s better than a cup of steaming spiced hot cocoa? One that’s ready and waiting for you after a long afternoon of sledding or skiing. We slow-cooked a batch of subtly sweet cocoa sweetened with both powdered sugar (because it melts evenly) and molasses (for a rich base note). Traditional gingerbread spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves make it smell like you’ve been baking all day when you’ve actually been out playing in the snow. If you have cheesecloth, bundle the spices inside of a square and secure it with kitchen twine. That way you won’t have to strain. Here’s an idea: use any leftover hot cocoa as a milk substitute in your morning coffee. By Deb Wise Deb Wise Deb Wise is a recipe tester and recipe developer for Cooking Light test kitchen for the past six years. She has been writing for Real Simple since 2016. In 2015, she published her book, Incredibly Decadent Desserts: Over 100 Divine Treats with 300 Calories or Less under the Cooking Light brand. Highlights: * Over six years' experience as a professional baker * Recipe tester and developer for Cooking Light * Recipe developer for Real Simple * Graduated from Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY * Recipes featured on Health, MyRecipes, Cooking Light, Real Simple, Southern Living, Coastal Living, among others Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 9, 2016 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Greg DuPree Hands On Time: 10 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Yield: 8 serves Ingredients 3 (4-in.) cinnamon sticks 1 (2-in.) piece peeled fresh ginger, lightly crushed ½ teaspoon whole cloves ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa 4 cups whole milk, divided 4 cups half-and-half 1 ½ cups (about 6 oz.) powdered sugar 2 tablespoons molasses 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon fine salt Mini marshmallows, whipped cream and/or ground cinnamon for serving Directions Place cinnamon sticks, ginger, and cloves in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Whisk together cocoa and ½ cup of the milk in a small bowl until smooth. In the slow cooker, whisk together cocoa mixture, half-and-half, powdered sugar, molasses, nutmeg, vanilla, salt, and remaining 3&frac 1/2 cups milk. Cover and cook on LOW 2½ to 3 hours; strain. Serve hot chocolate with marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon. Print