Delicious Reading: Hot cocoa a la 'The Polar Express' and 'Mrs. Happy Homemaker'

I remember being completely entranced by Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express when I first had it read to me on a snowy Christmas Eve in 1985. I was in fourth grade and the magic spun in that book stays with me still. There are many beautiful sensory descriptions in this tale of a boy taking a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, but I specifically recall one that was used to create an image of the treats served to the children on The Polar Express: they sipped hot cocoa "as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars." From the time I heard about that fictional drink when I was 9, all the powdered hot cocoa I encountered in real life seemed thin and weak by comparison. Then, I discovered a recipe for crock pot hot chocolate on mrshappyhomemaker.com.

Mrs. Happy Homemaker is a domestic diva named Crystal who lives in North Carolina and loves to blog delicious, simple and budget-friendly recipes. And whether she intended to, she made my Polar Express hot cocoa dream come true.

This hot cocoa really is as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars -- probably because there is a bag of chocolate chips melted into it. You are going to want to serve this for a crowd of holiday guests not only to share a cup of chocolate bliss with as many people as possible, but also to spread the calories between friends and family. Enjoy it with my warm wishes for a magical December!

Crockpot Hot Chocolate

__Ingredients:__

1.5 cups whipping cream

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

6 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semisweet, depending on how sweet you like it)

__Directions:__

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla and chocolate chips in a crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as desired.

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About Brooke

Brooke Clubbs lives in Jackson with her husband, three kids and two dogs. She is an instructor and now also the director of health communication at Southeast Missouri State University. Don't worry, though - she's going to keep making dessert. Everything in moderation!