Nutella Hot Chocolate Plus Maple Sweetened Marshmallows

I think we can all agree that snow is what makes winter so magical. I love being at my family's home and playing in the snow with my sisters (Yes, we still do that!). On snow days, we would go sledding with my parents at the best hills in our area. My dad would pack a thermos of hot chocolate and always have treats for us in his pockets. This past Saturday, there was about a foot or so of snow when we woke up! Magic! We spent the day shoveling (aka snowball fights while my dad actually shoveled) and sledding. We tested out a new hill at a nearby park and brought Rex. He pulled Kelly around in a sled and chased us as we sped down the hill. It was perfect. Puppies + snow = happiness. After sledding, we played cranium and drank this hot chocolate.

At a local coffee shop near my apartment, you can find Nutella lattes and hot chocolate. So so dreamy but easy to make! My favorite milk to do this with is almond milk. I've tried coconut, cashew, and whole. 

For the hot chocolate:

1 heaping tbsp Nutella

1 cup almond milk 

Add Nutella to mug of milk. Heat up. Stir. Enjoy. Multiply recipe to make as much as you like.

You can also make this over the stove for a large crowd and blend with an immersion blender.

I don't have a candy thermometer, so everything I did was kind of a guesstimate. So I can't guarantee that these will turn out but yolo. If you have a thermometer, check out Lexie's kitchen for more detailed instructions.

For the maple marshmallows:

1/2 cup cold water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2-1/2 tablespoons powdered gelatin

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter 

Lots of powdered sugar and cornstarch (or arrowroot)

Grease an 8x8 inch square pan and line with parchment paper.

Pour the water into a large mixing bowl, like the biggest one you have. Then pour the gelatin over the water and mix with a whisk.

Pour the maple syrup into a medium sized pot and add the salt and cream of tartar. Heat the mixture over medium high heat for 9 minutes. Then pour the syrup into the gelatin mixture. Using a hand mixer, mix on low increasing speed to high for about 7 minutes. You want the mixture to lighten up and form ribbons when you lift the mixer up as supposed to a thin stream of marshmallow fluff. This is before the fluff forms soft peaks. Add the vanilla, give it another quick mix and then pour into parchment paper lined pan. Let set for 4 hours.

Turn out onto a cutting board covered with plenty of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of starch. Cut the marshmallows with a greased knife. Then cover with powdered sugar and more starch. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Also these don't toast, they just melt. So no s'mores.