Homemade hot chocolate has a rich, thick, creamy texture and intense chocolate flavour. Made with baking chocolate, it's a warm drink filled with sweetness, ultra-comforting, and so indulgent.
If you're a chocolate lover, you must learn how to make homemade hot chocolate. It's no match for children's cocoa powder diluted in milk.
For a real, creamy homemade hot chocolate, you'll need just a handful of ingredients, but each must be carefully chosen and of the highest quality.
To make homemade hot chocolate the old-fashioned way, choosing quality chocolate with a high cocoa content is important. We recommend choosing chocolate with 70% cocoa or more. Avoid unsweetened chocolate, however, as this will produce an overly bitter drink.
How to make old-fashioned hot chocolate?
Ingredients for 2 cups of comfort:
- 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) milk
- 90 g (3 oz.) 70%+ chocolate, chopped
- 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp.) vanilla extract
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) 35% cream
- Heat milk in a saucepan with vanilla. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- In another saucepan, melt the chopped chocolate with the cream, stirring constantly to prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Pour the milk little by little over the melted chocolate, one ladle at a time, stirring well between each addition until the milk is well incorporated. This method guarantees a smooth, homogenous and perfectly chocolatey texture.
- Simmer for 5 minutes until the hot chocolate is slightly steaming and fragrant.
Variations and topping ideas
Start with the basic recipe for an old-fashioned hot chocolate, then play with flavours and spices as you see fit. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
- Infuse a cinnamon stick into the hot chocolate or add ½ tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
- Make it Mexican hot chocolate by infusing ½ small, seeded chilli and 1 cinnamon stick into hot chocolate and simmering for another 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan. Alternatively, you can add ½ tbsp. ground cinnamon and a dash of chilli powder.
- Replace the chocolate with white chocolate for a more original version that's just as delicious!
Now you're ready to enjoy your homemade hot chocolate the old-fashioned way, guilt-free!
