Save That Extra Hanukkah Gelt For Some Delicious Hot Chocolate

If you celebrate Hanukkah, you may or may not already be privy to the evolution of chocolate gelt. Beyond showcasing one's faithfulness to the Torah, the ancient celebration of light reborn is often celebrated through the consumption of traditional foods and showcasing the importance of charity through gift-giving. Gelt (or money in Yiddish) is given to children in some capacity on each night of Hanukkah to help teach the importance of charity. While real money is expected (in part) to be given back to those in need, chocolate gelt covered in gold and silver foil remains a fun way for kids young and old to celebrate this culturally rich Jewish tradition in a light-hearted manner.

If by the eighth night of the ceremonial candle lighting, you find yourself with more edible gelt than you know what to do with, you may be ready to use some of those precious chocolates to make a delicious mug of hot chocolate. While there are many ways to make this popular chocolatey beverage, including packaged mixes and cocoa powder, hot chocolate made with real chocolate pieces has an extra special ability to satisfy your tastebuds. Not only is hot chocolate made with these tasty edible gifts the perfect way to use them, but gelt hot chocolate is also fun to make and easy to customize.

Among the array of edible Hanukkah activities for kids, such as making applesauce and candy dreidels, delicious mugs of hot chocolate are pretty simple to make, thanks to leftover chocolate gelt. If you have a lot of edible coins and want to make a pot of this rich and chocolatey drink for your whole family, simply follow the recipe for the world's best hot chocolate, and instead of chocolate chips, use edible chocolate coins. To measure chocolate accurately, you may need to break up your gelt into smaller pieces before adding the intended amount to your hot cocoa milk mixture.

However, remember that depending on the type of chocolate gelt, you may need to add more or less to achieve the perfect ratio of chocolate to milk. Oftentimes, specialty chocolates wrapped in foil are made with higher-quality cocoa, and chocolate gelt can be purchased in both milk and dark varieties. Instead of adding 2 cups of chocolate coins to a pot of hot milk, start by adding only a small handful of broken coins. Whisk and taste the hot chocolate before deciding if the mixture needs a more pronounced chocolate flavor. If you want to make a hot chocolate that has a more mild or rich tasting chocolate flavor, you can also use gelt to make individual mugs of hot chocolate and many other tasty treats.

For those looking to customize individual mugs of hot chocolate, simply follow the recipe outlined above, but do not add any gelt to the pot. Once milk, sugar, and cocoa powder have been combined and heated over the stove, add a chocolate gelt coin or two to your favorite mug and pour some of the hot mixture over the added chocolate. Leave your mug undisturbed for a few minutes to allow those luscious coins to melt, then give the mixture a good stir and drink up. Once you've perfected your gelt hot chocolate recipe, add a plentiful serving of whipped cream and an additional coin for a fun, visually appealing garnish.

Next to hot chocolate, you can make many different confections with leftover chocolate gelt. Leave the coins whole to make s'mores, or break them apart and add the pieces to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or homemade trail mix. Gelt can also be melted down to serve as a fun ice cream topping or a central component in your favorite cake frosting. Unfortunately, gelt isn't used to make the chocolate gelt cocktail, which is an exclusive beverage for adults, but these fun edible coins have many uses that extend beyond the eight days of Hanukkah, including rich and creamy mugs of homemade hot chocolate.