Frozen Hot Chocolate

Have you ever tried Dairy Queen's Frozen Hot Chocolate? It is one of my favorite treats and, in my experience, it's always available even if it's not on their menu. Full disclosure - this recipe isn't as good as Dairy Queen's. I just can't duplicate that perfectly delicious chocolaty taste. But I did my best and, after several mediocre attempts, came up with a sufficient and surprisingly easy substitute. Plus, I can make this recipe 8-10 times for the price of one DQ serving!

1 c. crushed ice
1/2 c. chocolate milk*
1 packet Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix**

Combine ingredients and blend until ice is broken down to almost a milkshake consistency (there will still be tiny beads of ice). I use an immersion blender, but a regular blender should work just as well. Recipe can easily be doubled.

*I use the premade chocolate milk from the store. I tried chocolate almond milk and didn't like it quite as much. I haven't tried any of the powdered versions like Nestle, etc.

**I tried other brands and flavors of Hot Cocoa and Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate was always our favorite. But use what you have on hand. A different brand isn't a good enough reason to miss out on this yummy treat!

German Chocolate Bars

Wow! I haven't made this recipe in ages, but I remember really loving these back in the day. I'm not a fan of cake, but that's really a texture thing with me. So these tasty bars give me all the flavor of German Chocolate Cake without the cake. Win/win. :) Thank Betty Crocker for the recipe.

2/3 c. margarine, butter or spread, softened
1 package German Chocolate cake mix
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tub ready-to-spread coconut pecan frosting
¼ c. milk
        Heat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Cut margarine into cake mix in medium bowl, using pastry blender or fork. Press half of the mixture (2½ cups) in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer; drop frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips. Stir milk into remaining cake mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto frosting layer. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cake portion is slightly dry to the touch; cool completely. Cover and refrigerate any remaining bars. Cut into 1½ inch squares. Makes 48 bars.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

I am not a cake fan, but this is one of the few cakes I'll happily eat. Thanks to Susan for sharing it with me all those years ago!

1 box yellow cake mix, plain, no pudding in the mix
2 small packages instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs, slightly beaten
½ c. cooking oil
1 ¼ c. water, not too cold
1 c. chocolate chips
        Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and water. Beat length of time suggested on cake mix box. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake in well-greased bundt pan at 350° for one hour. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before turning cake out. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.