I love hot chocolate, especially the cheap store bought kind, but I can’t stand the lumpy residue that often ends up at the bottom of the mug. That’s why I perfected how to prepare instant hot chocolate without any lumps.

You start by heating the water as usual. Teapot, microwave, whatever. As the water is heating, you pour the instant mix into your mug. When the water is ready you pour only about 1″ of water into your mug. Then using a spoon, stir vigorously.

The beauty of having only 1″ of water is that you can stir pretty agressively without any fear of splashing hot chocolate all over the place. You can also really dig the spoon into the crevices of the mug to make sure no hot chocolate mix avoids blending.

Once you are satisfied the mix is thoroughly blended, fill the remainder of the mug up with water. Then, stir a few more times for good measure and optionally add a couple of marshmallows.

Great hot chocolate minus the lumps.