"Nice-n-Quik" Chocolate Syrup

There are a million different uses for chocolate syrup. Chocolate milk, over ice cream, on your waffle, in your coffee, added to a barbeque sauce, as a dessert drizzle, and the list goes on. This is a nice and thick syrup perfect for all those uses. Really, for how simple this is, everybody should have some in their refrigerator.

Growing up, some of you might have had that brown bunny-shaped plastic bottle of NesQuik syrup in your fridge. This was considered an extravagance around our house, so we usually had to wait until we were at a friend’s house to have any. But then one day we heard a very simple recipe on a radio show and copied it down. Since then we have always made our own. So as prices of food rise, you can still stay chocolatey with some “Nice-n-Quik” syrup to replace your Nesquik.

Follow along as Rachel, my contest collaborator, niece and an award-winning Instructables contributor, demonstrates just how quick and easy it is to make this.

Food Ingredients:

• 1 cup – Cocoa powder
• 2 cups – Granulated white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon – Salt
• 1 cup – Water
• 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla

Kitchen Tools:

• Medium saucepan
• Measuring Cups and Teaspoons
• Whisk
• Funnel
• Old syrup or sports drink bottle

Add all three of the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, and salt) into a medium saucepan. While dry, mix them all together. This breaks up the cocoa lumps and makes it easier to dissolve during the next stage.

Stir in the water and break up any remaining chunks. While continually whisking, heat on medium heat.

Bring to a rolling foamy boil. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from heat while continuing to whisk until it settles.

Allow the syrup to cool. You can place the sauce pan into a sink of cold water to speed this process up. Once it has cooled to lukewarm, add in the vanilla. (Don't do this while it is hot, or it evaporates.)

Find a bottle to store your syrup in. Any old syrup bottle or sports drink bottles will work. While the syrup is still lukewarm and flows well, pour it through a funnel into the bottle.

That's it, you have accomplished your very first batch of chocolate syrup. Now, it's up to you to figure out how to enjoy it. Rachel and I both recommend chocolate milk as an excellent way to use this. Pour some milk, add a healthy does of the chocolate syrup, and stir and enjoy.

I'm not sure if it is really necessary or not, but we suggest keeping the syrup refrigerated.