Slow Cooker Caramel Hot Chocolate

Whether it's an afternoon sledding party, a holiday brunch, girls' night in, a fun cookie or gift exchange, or a casual Christmas get-together with family, this is just the thing to serve up.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 3 hours

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours 10 minutes

YIELD: 7 cups

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Whole Milk

2 cups Half-and-Half

12 ounces (2 cups) Milk Chocolate Chips

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Caramel Ice Cream Topping

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Redi-Whip, for garnish

Additional Caramel Ice Cream Topping, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place milk, half-and-half, milk chocolate chips, caramel ice cream topping, and vanilla extract in a slow cooker. Cook on LOW setting for 2-3 hours until creamy and all chocolate chips are melted, stirring about every 30 minutes.

2. Spoon into mugs and top each mug with Redi-Whip and a drizzle of caramel ice cream topping.

3. Keep warm for several hours with the slow cooker with the slow cooker set on the WARM or LOW setting. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat later on the stove top or in the microwave.

NOTES:

**I tested with milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a combination of the two. We like milk chocolate chips the best. If you'd like a more dark chocolate taste, use 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips + 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. While you can certainly make this with semi-sweet chocolate chips alone if you'd like, we weren't fond of the flavor.