Snowman Soup {slow cooker white hot chocolate} + a Giveaway (closed)

There are those who say white chocolate ISN’T chocolate. . . and while, technically, they may be right, I don’t turn up my nose at this velvety creation over mere semantics.

Nope, bring me white chocolate and I will love you.  Befriend you.  Name my imaginary 4th child after you.

Since we’re in the throws of Christmas and holiday baking and enjoying our Hot Chocolate Bar, I decided to switch things up today.  My excuse is that it’s my birthday week … but, really, I just wanted to drink white chocolate and I needed a break from Swiss Miss.

This Snowman Soup (name chosen by the Kidlets and a few Facebook readers) is decadent without being overly sweet and cloying.  It’s scrumptious and velvety and such a beautiful twist to the normal concept of “hot chocolate.”  Of course, we kicked it up a notch with whipped cream and peppermint candies.

THEN . . . the Kidlets saw the snowman faces that Jill (from Meet the Dubiens) made for her cuppa chocolate.  When they saw those little bobbing snowman heads, it was “game on” in their minds.  Pleading, begging, trying to barter with promises of clean rooms and fuss-free bedtimes, they used everything in their arsenal to ensure Snowmen would be a part of this hot chocolate experience.

Truth be told, they were fast and easy and so CUTE!  Just a snip through a marshmallow and a few pieces of candy stuck to the sticky white ‘mallow and we had ourselves some snowman faces ready to be dunked in cups of white hot chocolate.

(only to meet a very violent end as the Kidlets started tearing off chocolate eyes and candy noses … first, of course)

So — if you need a new drink for after you go a ‘caroling . . . or after you tour the Christmas lights in your neighborhood … or after a long, long, long Monday . . . this is the drink for you.

Snowman Soup {slow cooker white hot chocolate}

 

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Author: Rachel Lacy

Recipe type: Drinks

Ingredients

• 4 cups Whole Milk
• 3 cups Half-and-Half
• 1 and ½ cups White Chocolate Chips
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Whipped Cream
• Crushed Peppermint Candies
• Jumbo Marshmallows
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Orange Reese’s Pieces (or similar brand)

Instructions

1. Pour the Milk and Half-and-Half into a 3-quart slow-cooker.
2. Add the White Chocolate Chips.
3. Cover and turn the slow-cooker to LOW.
4. Cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally to help the chips melt.
5. When fully melted, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
6. Ladle the drink into mugs and add the toppings in the following order:
7. Whipped Cream
8. Crushed Peppermint Candy
9. Snowman Marshmallows
10. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

To Make Snowman Marshmallows
Slice the Jumbo Marshmallows in half (across the middle) to create round Snowman faces.
On the sticky, “cut” side of the marshmallow half, add mini chocolate chips for eyes and the mouth and half of a Reese’s Pieces Candy for a “carrot nose,” pressing down on each piece of candy to help it adhere to the sticky marshmallow.

3.1.09

One more thing — want to make this recipe just a wee bit healthier?  Try Organic Valley Milk and Half-and-Half.

America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation’s leading organic brands;

Focused on saving family farms through organic farming;

Produces a variety of organic dairy foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, and eggs.

Having grown up on a working farm, with memories of bottle-feeding orphaned calves and baling summer hay to give the cattle during the cold winter months, I love that Organic Valley is committed to the Farmer  . . . LOCAL farmers.

(Organic Valley photos of the Deal Farm, a local Texas family-owned farm that produce for Organic Valley…. that’s right, you can look up the Farmers for YOUR area; for more info, check out http://www.organicvalley.coop/who-is-your-farmer/)

And they are committed to humane treatment of the animals used to create their foods.  All animals (ALL animals, even poultry) have access to the outdoors and, with regard to their chickens, maintain small flock sizes to avoid over-crowding, stress, and all the problems that come with traditional chicken houses.

(if you’re interested in knowing more, Organic Valley maintains a Transparency Page where the treatment of their animals is openly shared)

Furthermore, Organic Valley is determined to bring healthy, sustainable and responsible food production back to our tables (even recently taking on the task of revolutionizing and transforming the highly processed “American Cheese” into a REAL food … yeah, I’m going to be looking for that in my store!).

It all just makes my Farmer’s grandkid’s heart happy, happy, happy.

Pasture Perfect Holidays

In celebration of the Holiday season, Organic Valley has launched the Organic Valley Pasture Perfect Holiday Sweepstakes, where people (YOU!) can win up to $12,000 for kitchen appliances, a $1,000 gift certificate for cookware, or a weekly drawing for a year of free Organic Valley products.

When you visit http://pastureperfectholidays.com, as you scroll down to the Sweepstakes entry form, you’ll see their Holiday Recipe Book — where pasture perfect ingredients have been turned into unforgettable holiday recipes like Butternut Squash Brushetta with Maple-Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Traditional Mashed Potatoes and the Best Ever Hot Chocolate (but it doesn’t come with a Snowman Face…. just sayin’).

Curious to try Organic Valley Products for your family?

One reader will win:

• 10 Free-Product Organic Valley coupons (a month’s worth of milk!)
• Organic Valley Canvas Tote
• Organic Valley storage container.
• a $1 off coupon for Organic Valley American Singles
• Organic Valley bumper sticker

To Enter

Leave a comment below telling me what Holiday Recipe you love that you could transform with Organic Valley products.

Bonus Entries

I know some of you like extra chances in a giveaway, so here they are.  Any of the following options may be completed for extra entries into the giveaway.  These additional entries are completely optional and not required. 

Please leave a separate comment for any completed extra entry.

• Follow Following In My Shoes on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter
• Follow me on Pinterest
• Tweet this giveaway (for your convenience, you may use the “tweet” button located at the top of this post; this post may be tweeted a max of 2 times daily — please leave the URL of your tweet in your comments below)

Good luck!  

This giveaway will end on 12/24/12 at noon (CMT); the winner will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours from the time the email is sent to confirm his/her win.  

This is a sponsored post with Brandfluential for Organic Valley. All opinions are my own.