Whiskey Caramel Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Makes 2 large mugfuls of hot chocolate.

Some thoughts on naming recipes: I'm judgy about recipes with cutsey names that tell you nothing about what it's all about. A perfect example is my own Gonne Maude Truffle. On the production floor of RCC, we have long abandoned this name, because ingredients-wise, it makes no sense to anyone except me and Steve. And it only makes sense to us because we came up with the annoying name in the first place. At work, we simply call it the Whiskey Truffle. "W" for short. Everyone understands this. It's short, sweet, and straightforward. It has been this way for so long that when a customer (inevitably) asks "So what's in the Gonne Maude truffle?" it often takes me a second to comprehend what they're talking about. 

There are some exceptions to this rule. Morning Glory muffins, for example. Maybe I would have thought this was annoying when  the deliciousness that is this wholesome mash-up of carrot, apple, raisins, nuts, and seeds was so named, but it's been a part of our culinary canon for long enough now that the name truly defines the recipe, and not the other way around.  

I tend to err on the other side of that equation; my titles tend to over-explain the recipe. Over-explain, but not--as it turns out--over-promise. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons RCC Pumpkin Spice Drinking Chocolate
• ¼ cup RCC Rye Whiskey Caramel Sauce (or more to taste)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3 rounded tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1-½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ground nutmeg to taste

Method:

1. Place the heavy cream in a high-sided bowl, and add the pumpkin puree, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip with electric beaters until the cream holds soft peaks. Set aside (place in the refrigerator if it is very warm in your kitchen).
2. Place the milk and caramel sauce in a sauce pan and heat until just boiling.
3. While the milk is heating, place the Drinking Chocolate mix in a heatproof 4-cup measuring cup. When the milk mixture is hot, pour about ½ cup of it into the measuring cup, and stir until the drinking chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add the rest of the milk. Hold a whisk between your two palms so that it stands straight up in the measuring cup and then mix by spinning the whisk left and right as you move your hands back and forth.
4. Taste the drinking chocolate, add more caramel sauce if needed, then pour into mugs. Top with pumpkin whipped cream and a fresh grating of nutmeg.