I love coffee. But sometimes I want a hot beverage and I don’t want caffeine, and I don’t want tea, and I don’t want decaf coffee, and I don’t want super sugary syrupy café hot chocolate, and I don’t want flavorless weak powder crap, or delux expensive hot cocoa mix… gee, I am hard to please.

So I make my own.  It’s super easy.
Actually I’m enjoying some right now.  Just after a snowy winter evening run, what could be better than a mug of hot chocolate and pajamas?

The original recipe with all the good science is from Cooks Illustrated.  (A “duh” reference for regular readers.)
I just dump all the ingredients into my Ninja blender.
The bold items you shouldn’t skip or you’ll be sad.  The other ones are totally optional.

7 oz unsweetened chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao chips) 
3 oz (1c) unsweetened cocoa powder7 oz (or 1c) sugar
.6 oz (5t) corn starch 
3/4 t salt 
2 0z (>1/2c?) malted milk powder
1 t vanilla extract 
1 t almond extract
.6 oz (1/3c) instant coffee (I use the decaf Mount Hagen freeze dried stuff).
.5 oz chicory (which I grind to a fine powder in my coffee grinder first).

Other optional variations that I don’t do…
nonfat dry milk powder instead of malted milk powder
Cinnamon, chile and cayenne powder for a Mexican twist.
Mint extract, or orange, or…

I just keep blending away until it’s a nice powder.  It makes about 3 cups of mix.
To serve, Cooks Illustrated says to heat 1 cup milk in a sauce pan and when it starts to steam and bubble add 1/4 cup chocolate mix and whisk constantly until simmering.

I just add boiling water to a generous scoop of the mix.  Stir until dissolved.  Then I add a little cold milk so I can drink it without scalding.  Sometimes I bring the powder to work and don’t even bother with the milk.  Less decadent, but it’s good enough for me.