Julie Van Rosendaal - Cold weather recipes

Julie Van Rosendaal stops by with great ideas for cold weather food - hearty borscht and peanut butter hot chocolate.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

If you want your hot chocolate salted, add a pinch of flaky sea salt at the end.

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
3 cups 2% or whole milk
2-4 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Lindt 70% cocoa or Bernard Callebaut - you can get nibs or flakes from Bernard Callebaut they work great)

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar and cocoa to get rid of lumps; stir in the water until smooth, then whisk in the milk over medium-high heat. Heat until steaming. Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter and chocolate. Let it sit for a few seconds, then blend it with a hand-held immersion blender. Or for individual cups, divide the chocolate among the cups and pour the warm milk overtop. Whiz with one of those little frothers to make it very smooth and foamy.