Chocolate Milk Hot Chocolate

Last month, we drove nearly 90 minutes to Stratford, ON to have family photos taken. I stumbled upon the brilliant Martina’s work earlier in the fall and immediately knew she was the perfect person to capture the casual yet precious keepsakes I was looking for.

We chose Stratford because we love it there; Rob and I spent a lot of time in the city while we were dating, we got married along the Avon river, a small body of water that weaves its way through the town, and if all goes according to plan, I hope to run a charming bed and breakfast there someday, once our kids fly the coop and head off to University. 

Our photos were taken on a cold, crisp Saturday at the beginning of December, and after the boys generously posed for an hour and half of pictures in various locations around the town, we stopped for a cozy hot chocolate break in one of the town’s quaint coffee shops. The exposed brick walls, cushioned benches, and window seating left us lingering in the space a little longer than expected, which worked out so well because Martina snapped a few candid shots of us enjoying our rest. If you look closely you can see the boys on the stools back by the windows, and I love that you can clearly see me laughing at something Rob said. 

While this photo is one of my favourites from the session, the boys are far less sentimental about the experience, preferring to focus their attention on the hot chocolate from that afternoon. They both declared it the best they’ve ever tasted, and a little snooping on Rob’s part revealed the recipe for the drink: heat and froth chocolate milk straight from the carton, pour into mugs, and serve.

I’ve made my share of cocoa based drinks over the years, but this idea never, ever occurred to me. Naturally it makes perfect sense, so how it could be anything but good? My sister told me that when she worked in a deli as a teenager that’s how they made their hot chocolate, placing the steam wand straight into the chocolate milk carton. She used to pour the sweet, frothy milk into her coffee, which probably wouldn’t taste all that bad, either. 

I’m not going to lie – I don’t purchase a lot of store-bought chocolate milk, but I’ve done it a few times for use in my beloved milk frother, purchased to support my tea latte addiction, and I must confess, the hot chocolate we’ve been making is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. In fact, it might even go on the menu of my future bed and breakfast.

Have you ever made hot chocolate by warming chocolate milk?

P.S. Other ways we like to make hot chocolate can be found here and here. 

Comments

[Kris]

lol, I always thought I was just lazy for heating chocolate milk for hot chocolate

[Emma]

The picture of you and Rob laughing at the table is so beautiful - you can see what a lovely relationship you have together.

[Jan Scott]

Thank you, Emma! I love it, too. I think it captures us perfectly, and is so much nicer than a more formal, posed picture. 

[Jan Scott]

No way - youre totally brilliant!!