Sonoma Sustenance

A major perk of having a fabulous mother with mad cooking skills is that she's in the "In Club" at Williams-Sonoma. Meaning she works there, for their nice discount - and that discount treats you nicely.

When my mother came to Chicago about a week ago, we, of course, took a trip to Williams-Sonoma at 900 North Michigan Shops, because "Chicago has things that the Cleveland store doesn't have." Which is true, I guess.

We picked up two holiday-themed chocolate goodies:

1. Peppermint Baked Brownie Mix - A+++ This stuff was delicious. Not only does it come with a peppermint candy topping, but the actual brownie mix itself is infused with peppermint. Just add butter and eggs to their packaged mix, fold together gently, and bake for about 30 minutes. My shotty oven required me to bake them a bit longer than 30 minutes.

These brownies came out thick and gooey, boyfriend was so upset that I was making them for my co-workers and not him (don't worry, I did leave him a few).  They were a hit with my co-workers. At $16.95 per box,  yes, these are the most expensive brownies I have ever baked/eaten, but hey, it's the holidays. And they are SO GOOD.

2. Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Mix - A+ Finally! REAL hot chocolate. This isn't a cocoa powder, the container holds real flecks of chocolate that you melt with milk on the stove. This hot chocolate is so creamy and thick, one cup will definitely fill you up. Make a cup for your boyfriend so he doesn't try to steal yours. Careful, the calorie count is pretty high, and this stuff is addicting.

There is also a peppermint hot chocolate flavor, but the bulk of the peppermint taste is lost after boiling with water. I'd stick with the classic flavor.

At almost $20/jar, still an expensive investment in hot chocolate, but what do you expect from Williams-Sonoma?



*If you buy the hot chocolate, you MUST ALSO BUY the Williams-Sonoma homemade marshmallows.  They come in two sizes (the minis are plenty) and are shaped like giant cubes, not  the look or consistency of your typical Jewel-Osco marshmallow, but they melt so perfectly in a cup of hot chocolate, creating a creamy, marshmallowy layer of perfection. Both the classic marshmallow and the peppermint marshmallow are great.