Saturday, June 18, 2011

Iced Chocolate

Last fall, I went to an arts and crafts fair in West Virginia. The highlight (aside from getting a pinecone wreath reminiscent of the ones my mom used to make) was the iced chocolate. It was a really hot day and the iced chocolate hit the spot. It isn't hard to make and hardly merits a recipe, but in the interest of creating a record of it should my children ever attempt it on hot summer days, here it is -- my version of iced chocolate.

Iced Chocolate

Enough powdered hot cocoa for the equivalent of one mug of hot chocolate
Warm water
Ice

1. Combine powdered chocolate and about 1 cup warm water in a tall glass. Stir until dissolved.
2. Add enough ice to fill glass.
3. Enjoy.

Substitution Suggestions: I'm sure you could use chocolate syrup, but I was using a chocolate cherry powdered cocoa (which was excellent, by the way). You can also make it more like the Starbucks version by adding whipped cream and chocolate shavings and/or syrup on the top, but I like the refreshing lightness of this version.

Lessons Learned: I loved this in a tall water bottle. My only complaint was that I added a little too much water, which diluted it, so I had to add more chocolate. It really comes down to personal preference on the amount of chocolate you want.
You need to use warm water if you're using powder because it'll dissolve better. If you're using syrup, it's a non-issue, so use cold water.
This isn't meant to be creamy. Think iced coffee except with chocolate. (Granted, I've never had iced coffee, so I'm only guessing. But, if you want an iced coffee recipe, I have it on good authority that this one is fabulous.)