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Ideas for spicing up cocoa, from Food Network

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Planning to enjoy a cup — or 20 — of hot cocoa this winter?

Sure, the old-fashioned regular way to make the drink with a bit of cocoa and hot milk is delicious, but Food Network Kitchens shared an innovative way to make the drink stand out for you, your family or your holiday guests.

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions
Sift ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the mixture together to be sure the spices are evenly distributed.

Stir 3 tablespoons of the mix into 1 ½ cups of hot milk. Serve in large mugs. Store the rest of the mix in a tightly-sealed jar.

To make vanilla sugar
For those who want to further test their culinary skills, split ½ of a fresh vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Combine 2 cups of granulated sugar with the vanilla pod and seeds and store in an airtight container for at least one week.

To find more great recipes this holiday season, visit the Food Network at foodnetwork.com.