Y’all know I have an intense love for coffee.  (If you don’t — hi, I’m Chelsea, it’s nice to meet you.)  While I normally just opt for straight brewed coffee, sometimes it’s nice to liven things up a bit (y’know, like with sugar.  And chocolate.)

I, honestly, love a mocha.  I mean coffee + chocolate?  What’s not to like?  However, I find that ordering a mocha at many coffeehouses tends to be like OMGCHOCOLATE&SUGAR!! + coffee.  I mean, I love a hot chocolate on occasion; but if I want a mocha, I want it to be a nice balance of chocolate and coffee (with an emphasis on the coffee).  Because of this, I like to make mochas at home.  Stovetop mochas = you control the coffee/chocolate ratio.  That’s right my friend, you are the master of this combination.  You can even require that people refer to you as “your Excellency” when you make these.  (*Note: I mean, you can require it… but whether that actually happens…)

So with that, Mocha Masters, let’s get started.

First — a little note about the coffee in these: I like to use espresso in my mochas, because it’s both traditional and delicious.  While I do own a Nespresso, I like to use my Bialetti stovetop espresso maker ↑ for these.  If you don’t own an espresso maker, you can always make your own double-strength coffee and just use that.  (I would use 4 tbsp. fresh, finely ground coffee — ideally an espresso roast — per 1 cup of water.  You’ll only need about 1 cup for these.)

Stovetop Mochas

serves 2

• finely ground espresso (about 4 tbsp)
• chocolate of your choice (about 4 tbsp) — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, usually
• tiny pinch of salt
• 1-2 tsp. sugar
• 3-4 cups milk (again, your choice — I did a 50/50 mix of nonfat and half and half)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare your espresso by filling the bottom of your espresso maker with fresh, cold water up to the bolt.  Place grounds into the basket until full, then lightly tamp down.  Screw the top on the espresso maker tightly, then set over high heat and let it come to a boil.
2. Place chocolate, salt, sugar and about 1/4 of the milk into a small pot over medium heat.  Heat until small bubbles start to appear on the sides of the milk, then stir or whisk constantly until milk is heated and chocolate is fully melted and dissolved (about 2 min).  Add remaining milk and heat until just warmed through (about 3 min).  Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
3. When espresso is done (all the water has boiled through the top of your espresso maker), pour the espresso into the milk mixture and stir to combine.
4. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream if you’re feeling fancy.

This recipe is really easy to customize, so play around with it until you get the flavors the way you like them.  Some people will like more or less chocolate, more or less sugar, different milk (to make it dairy-free use soy, hemp, almond, or rice milk), etc.  You can also play around with the extracts — adding about 1/4 tsp. of peppermint extract would be fun for the holidays.  Or maybe serve it with a cinnamon stick to make it more of a Mexican chocolate mocha.  You could even add a dash of cayenne if you wanted to get real crazy.  Do what you want — you are the mocha master!