Pilot Study: Caramel Hot Chocolate

Figure 1. Yum!

Before initiating the experimental process, we decided to take a step back and test our cooking intuition by piecing together some delicious hot chocolate using elements of current and past culinary projects.  Call it a pilot study, if you will.

One purpose of this study was to see what we could come up with on our own.  This is important because if we completely mess up a recipe, it's important to be able to figure out how to salvage it quickly.  Also, we couldn't pass up the hot chocolate packets once we saw them in Treasure Island.

Figure 2. Carmel Hot Chocolate

Yes, you read that right, we used the instant stuff.  But trust us, it looked really appealing: Chocolate Caramel Hot Cocoa Mix (Nestlé S.A.).  With some boiling water, a dash* of cinnamon, 14 marshmallows, and pair of matching red mugs, these seemingly innocuous packets of powder evoked a much appreciated feeling of solace among the baking chaos that was unfolding on the other counter (See Experiment 1).  With that came the confidence that we might pull through with our cooking marathon, after all (Details to follow).


*We attempted several times to define the standard volume of a "dash."  We didn't come to a consensus.  You're on your own with that one.