Mmmmm....hot chocolate & cheese??

One of my favorite drinks growing up was having a hot cup of hot chocolate with melted Gouda cheese in it.  There's just something about the sweet flavor of hot chocolate with the melting smoothness of the cheese mixed together as you take that first sip that just warms me up.  Now becoming more and more frugal each day I decided to make some comparisons.  Now your typical Spanish style chocolate recipe would be the following:

6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

1/4 cup water, room temperature

3 tablespoons hot water 

3 cups hot milk, divided 

Sugar to taste 

Gouda Cheese

In a double boiler over low heat, combine chocolate and 1/4 cup water until melted, stirring occasionally; stir until smooth.

Remove top of double boiler pan from. Whisk in 3 tablespoons hot water. Pour into pitcher or divide among individual 4 mugs and Stir 3/4 cup hot milk into each mug.  Cut the cheese into chunks and add to hot chocolate. 

Makes 4 servings.

Now instead of using hot water and hot milk I would substitute a can of evaporated milk.  So let's see what our price on my take of this recipe:

6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Using Chocolate Cortez 4.95 a bar or Chocolate Abuelita made by Nestle which is anywhere from 3.39 to 9.99 depending where you buy it!)

3 tablespoons hot water (free...hopefully!)

3 cups hot milk, divided (3.79 a gallon or 1.00 for a can of carnation milk)

Sugar to taste (roughly 2.00 a pound?)

Gouda cheese

So to make it the "old fashioned way" you'll be spending roughly 11.00 without the cost of the Gouda Cheese.

Now that's an expensive cup of hot chocolate!! And you're only getting 4 servings?  

Let's try this instead! 

Gourmet Cupboard Hot Chocolate mix 5.25 

milk 3.79 a gallon or 1.00 for carnation milk

Gouda Cheese

So to make it the "Latina" Gourmet Cupboard way you would be spending 7.00 to 9.00 on ingredients instead of 11.00 and instead of 4 servings you are getting 8 servings!  Do the math!  That's a median average of 1.00 cup versus 2.75 a cup!  

Who doesn't want to save money?  So before you decide that you have to have that gloriously yummy cup of hot chocolate think of all the saving you can get from buying from the "Latina" Gourmet Cupboard!  Got your interest piqued?  Order today!  Just email me at The "Latina" Gourmet today!