The hot chocolate is a creamy, delicious winter drink, thick like the one at the café, and it takes less than 10 minutes to make at home. You won’t need ready-made mixes or many ingredients to make the best hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted! In fact, real hot chocolate is made with cocoa, milk, sugar, chopped chocolate, and cornstarch. Not only is it simple and quick to make, but it’s also far better, and being able to prepare good hot chocolate anytime, especially when temperatures drop and we need a warm cuddle, is priceless!
The preparation is very simple: pour cocoa, starch, and sugar into a small pot, add milk, and mix with a whisk to combine and eliminate any lumps. Heat over the stove and continue stirring until the chocolate thickens. Add chopped chocolate, which will melt with the heat, and serve with whipped cream and chopped chocolate.
Delightful and irresistible with its rich aroma, the beauty of Homemade Hot Chocolate is that we can customize it every time as we like, for example, by adding more dark or milk chocolate and less cornstarch for a thinner, less dense consistency, or by using spices like cinnamon, vanilla, or other ingredients like coffee or orange and even liquors like brandy, Baileys, or amaretto. Perfect to enjoy hot on a cold afternoon, try Hot Chocolate! With whipped cream and accompanied by homemade cookies like Chocolate Ricciarelli, Butter Cookies, or a slice of Torta Tenerina is perfect!
Also discover:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients to make Hot Chocolate
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1.8 oz dark chocolate
- 2 tbsps cornstarch
Tools to make Hot Chocolate
- 1 Pot
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Stovetop
Steps to make Hot Chocolate
To prepare the Hot Chocolate, first mix the cornstarch with cocoa and sugar in a small pot. Sift the powders well before pouring them into the pot.
Gradually add the milk and mix using a whisk to remove any lumps.
Place the pot over a low flame and continue stirring for about 5-10 minutes or until it reaches the desired thickness. Chop the chocolate and add it to the hot chocolate, stirring to melt it.
Serve the hot chocolate with whipped or semi-whipped cream and chopped chocolate.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store Hot Chocolate, once it has cooled well, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, although it is ideal to consume it as soon as it’s ready.
For an even thicker consistency, you can add more chocolate. If you prefer a more liquid consistency, just use less cornstarch, which you can possibly replace with potato starch.
To flavor, you can use cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, orange, mint, or liquors like amaretto or Baileys.
You can use dark chocolate of the percentage you prefer or replace it with milk chocolate. In this case, it would be preferable to reduce the amount of sugar.
You can also garnish the chocolate with marshmallows or colorful sprinkles.
FAQ
Can you make hot chocolate lactose-free or vegan?
Yes, you can simply use lactose-free milk or plant-based alternatives: coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, etc.
What type of chocolate is recommended to use?
You can use 100% chocolate or milk chocolate, depending on your tastes! However, you will need to increase or reduce the amount of sugar or sweetener, considering both the quality of the chocolate used and your preferences!
