What do you get when you combine the warmth of pumpkin and the smooth sweetness of white chocolate? The most heavenly drink of fall!
I really can’t think of a more iconic drink for fall than hot chocolate. Well, maybe hot apple cider…but if given a choice between the two, I’m sure most of you (cool peeps) would choose hot chocolate seeing as it’s the richest and most delicious of the two. I mean, DUH. Who in their right mind would ever choose a fruit drink over a chocolate drink?? Only crazy people. And trust me, you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
While Pumpkin Spice Lattes might be dominating the hot beverage department during this time of year, I would much rather drink something sweeter, richer, and less coffee-like. More specifically, something like this Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate…
Being the self-proclaimed hot chocoholic that I am, this euphoric brew of the Goddesses is so totally up my alley. It’s luxuriously rich, smooth, and flavored with the perfect touch of pumpkin and spice to bring you to your knees. You really won’t find a more exquisite drink than this PWHC. I promise you…
Just to be clear, this is NOT your typical pumpkin spice beverage where all you do is throw in some pumpkin spices and call it “Pumpkin” whatever. This hot chocolate goes WAY beyond that. It has actual pumpkin in it to give you that subtle yet full-flavored pumpkin taste reminiscent of pumpkin pie.
And don’t you worry about any kind of strong squashy flavor because only a half cup of pumpkin puree is stirred in–just enough to compliment the sweetness of the white chocolate. So I guess you could pretty much consider this a diet shake seeing as there’s real pumpkin, AKA fruit, in this delicious and nutritiously “healthy” drink 😉
Hey, I’ll take any justification I can get if it means I can consume gallons of this stuff.
While there is a good amount of white chocolate in this drink, I decided to add a little brown sugar for some nice maple sweetness. To make things richer, I opted for half & half instead of milk. However, if you don’t have any on hand, milk will work too. Just be sure to pile your drink high with whipped cream to make up for the loss in calories, AKA deliciousness.
Of course, you definitely can’t forget to add a dash or two of pumpkin spice to help round out the flavor of the pumpkin. Add a drop of vanilla and a pinch of salt, and you have the most delicious beverage on the planet.
No! The UNIVERSE!!
Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 3 cups half & half or whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
- Serve with whipped cream, marshmallows, or both!