Have you ever heard of hot chocolate on a stick? It's basically a fudge-like block that you stir into hot milk to create a sweet, cocoa-y hot chocolate without the powdered mix. (And, of course, the fudge tastes great on its own, too.)

The recipe comes originally from King Arthur Flour and can be adapted to make mint hot chocolate (replace some or all semisweet chips with mint chocolate chips), dark chocolate (replace some or all of the semisweet chips with dark chocolate chips, or use more unsweetened baking chocolate), or white hot chocolate (replace half or more of the semisweet chips with white chocolate chips). Skewer a marshmallow on the stick before the fudge block to add some marshmallowy goodness to your hot cocoa.

Hot Chocolate On a Stick (via King Arthur Flour)
Makes between 25 and 36 squares, depending on how small you cut your blocks (I opt for larger!)

½ cup heavy cream
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)
3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla extract
wooden sticks or lollipop sticks (found in local craft store)

Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; whisking as you allow it to gently melt. After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. Add vanilla (or hazelnut, or espresso powder).

Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly set up.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface. The original recipe says to slice the fudge into 1 ¼" cubes, but I just cut 25 pieces (5 rows, 5 columns). Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest cuts.

Stick a wooden stick into the center of each block. Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired. Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap to store. The hot chocolate sticks can be stored for one week at room temperature, two weeks in the refrigerator, or at least a month in the freezer.

Try pairing this with yesterday's lemon-almond biscotti for a tasty holiday treat!