Rich 'n' Thick Hot Chocolate

Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.

Cook remaining 3 1/2 cups milk in a large, nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan (about 4 minutes; do not boil).

Whisk in chocolate, honey, vanilla extract, and salt until blended and smooth.

Whisk in cornstarch mixture.

Bring milk mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently (about 4 minutes).

Remove from heat.

Let cool slightly. (

Mixture will thicken as it cools.)

Serve immediately with Marshmallow Whipped Cream, if desired.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% Cacao dark chocolate bar.

Mexican Rich 'n' Thick Hot Chocolate: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, whisking in 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 tsp. ancho chili powder with chocolate. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Orange-Almond Rich 'n' Thick Hot Chocolate: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, whisking in 3 Tbsp. orange juice and 2 Tbsp. almond liqueur with chocolate. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Amaretto for almond liqueur.

Grown-up Rich 'n' Thick Hot Chocolate: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, whisking in 1/2 cup Southern Comfort with chocolate. Proceed with recipe as directed.