Hot Chocolate Spoons - by Anna

     Hello all! Welcome back to TAJ. So Valentine's Day has passed, but I wanted to share a little recipe I made for Valentine's Day, but that could be used any time of the year with a little adjustment. As you can see from the title, the recipe is called 'hot chocolate spoons.'

     This is basically something I made up (with a little inspiration from the good ole' Pinterest) so the title isn't very imaginative. Basically, they're spoons with hardened chocolate on them that you stir into a small glass of warm milk to make hot chocolate.

     These are super easy to make, it probably took me ten to fifteen minutes, and I was taking pictures and making everything look sorta nice, so it'll probably take you less. To make the spoons you need:

• semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
• sprinkles or other items to top your chocolate
• plastic spoons
• a plate
• a spoon
• glass measuring cup

     And more then half of that is supplies, not food. XD

     To start, lay out however many spoons you want to make with their handles resting on the edge of the plate. (Note: a third of a cup of chocolate chips will make about six spoonfuls of chocolate.)

     Next, measure out the appropriate amount of chocolate chips in the glass measuring cup. I made twelve spoons, so I used two-thirds of a cup total of chocolate chips. You can use any type of chocolate chip you want. I only tried semi-sweet and milk, but they were both really good. You could try butterscotch, peanut butter, or even white chocolate chips. I don't know how good that would taste as hot chocolate - but you could try it!

     Microwave the chocolate chips for about fifteen seconds, then stir, and then microwave again. Keep a close eye on them. Chocolate chips will melt quickly and then burn. Stirring between microwaving 'sessions' will spread the heat out and make all the chips melt at about the same rate. I had to microwave the chips about four or five times, but different microwaves make melt the chips faster or slower.

     After the chips are melted, pour onto your spoons that are resting on the plate. The plate will help the chocolate to dry pretty evenly on the spoon. Before your chocolate hardens completely, sprinkle some sprinkles or other embellishments on the spoons. Don't worry - the chocolate won't harden very quickly - just don't wait fifteen minutes before doing this step!

     After that, let the chocolate dry on the spoon. Mine were pretty dry in thirty to forty-five minutes, but I'd let them at least go overnight (or two to three hours) before using them.

     For storage, slip the spoons into a plastic bag and seal it. It might be better to put the spoons in the fridge to ensure the chocolate stays hardened, but just be sure that wherever you put them, they won't melt.

     To use the spoons, heat about a half cup of milk in the microwave, then stir a spoon in it until the chocolate has melted off. Most of the sprinkles on my spoons disintegrated in the milk, which I expected. You could try putting mini marshmallows on the spoons, or adding some after stirring the chocolate in.

     The milk should be pretty hot to melt the chocolate, and it might not all melt, but it'll still taste pretty good.

     That's basically it! Hope you enjoyed these simple treats. I really liked making them (but especially eating them!). Be sure to comment if you try these or come up with any new variations!

~Anna