Make rich, creamy, and milky Hot Chocolate for a relaxing and comforting day that you deserve!
The hot chocolate is a famous drink all over the world. It is popularly made with shaved or melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and milk or water. You can even garnish it with some whipped cream.
Unlike other instant chocolate drinks, it has cocoa powder for a distinct earthy and toasty flavor. Meanwhile, the chocolate gives it the best texture and a mildly sweet taste, too.
What I love about this instant hot chocolate recipe is that you can store it in a jar and use it whenever you want. Once you have the instant mix ready, just mix it into some milk for the best drink.
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There can be plenty of ways to make hot chocolate. In this recipe, I’ll tell you all about what goes into a simple, tasty, and ready-to-use chocolate mix with the perfect flavor and texture!
How to Make Hot Chocolate
An awesome hot chocolate recipe starts with an instant drink mix that will give you the flavor, texture, and quality that you need. As long as you have the mix, you can make this drink anytime you want.
It’s almost like making your own version of Milo at home!
Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make Hot Chocolate:
Dark chocolate
Relish a thick, creamy, and rich Hot Chocolate with dark chocolate in the mix. It will give the drink the best mix of bitter, earthy, and sweet flavors that you will taste at every sip.
In this recipe, you need to grate the dark chocolate to make it easier to melt when you use it. The good thing about using dark chocolate is that it won’t make the drink too sweet.
Did you know that you can make dark chocolate with three ingredients? You need cocoa nibs, coconut oil, and sugar! It’s my go-to dark chocolate recipe for baking, cooking, and making drinks.
Milk powder
If you want to make your hot chocolate extra creamy and milky, then you should definitely add milk powder. You need to use milk powder so you can stir it into the drink mix.
Since it is just dehydrated milk, you can still expect a mild sweet flavor from the milk powder. Don’t worry, there are low-fat or non-fat milk powders you can try to make it healthier.
It’s surely going to give the drink an extra thick texture that will make it a real hot chocolate recipe. The milk powder will surely take your drink to the next level!
Cocoa powder
Give the hot chocolate a truly chocolatey quality with cocoa powder. It’s an unsweetened chocolate condiment that you can always use to make desserts and drinks.
According to The Spruce Eats, the two main types of cocoa powder are Dutch process and natural. The natural cocoa tends to have a lighter and milder flavor while the Dutch process has an intense bittersweet quality.
I suggest using the Dutch process cocoa powder because it dissolves faster than the natural. It’s certainly effective for drinks, so I also use it to make Chocolate Almond Milk!
Powdered sugar
The best drink ever will not be complete without a sweet flavor from powdered sugar. It’s granulated sugar that you need to pulverize until it turns into a fine powder.
When making powdered sugar at home, you can add a bit of cornstarch to prevent the sugar from clumping. You can easily mix the powdered sugar into the drink mix for a sweet flavor at every sip.
With the help of powdered sugar, you can give the drink a smooth consistency, too. I’m sure you’ll appreciate how well it complements the dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
Corn flour
There is no better way to make hot chocolate thick and smooth than with some corn flour. Even just a little bit of corn flour can make a big difference in your instant drink mix recipe.
It will give the drink a better texture without causing much change in the flavor. In fact, it will even prevent the drink mix from clumping as you store it in a jar.
Milk
Although you added milk powder to the drink mix, you will also need liquid milk when it’s time to make the hot chocolate. Just stir the mixture into the milk to heat and dissolve.
In making this drink, don’t overheat the milk. Let it simmer to dissolve the mix and you’ve got authentic hot chocolate right in the comforts of your own home.
Do you have everything you need to make hot chocolate? Now, it’s time to prepare it!
Directions
Remember these steps to make the hot chocolate mix and the drink itself.
Hot chocolate mix
- Shred dark chocolate with a grater.
- Whisk milk powder, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and corn flour in a bowl.
- Then, add the dark chocolate.
- Store the hot chocolate mix in a jar.
Hot chocolate drink
- In a pot, pour milk and add the hot chocolate milk.
- Mix the contents well.
- Then, let it simmer for two minutes.
- The hot chocolate is ready to serve!
Take a sip to experience how chocolatey, sweet, and creamy the hot chocolate is. It will surely bring you the comfort that you need after a tiring day.
Tips
Dark chocolate
Instead of buying dark chocolate, you can make as much as you want at home. All you need are cocoa nibs, some coconut oil, and powdered sugar.
First, you need to roast the cocoa nibs for about three minutes at 150°C. Once cool, mill them on high speed. Later on, add the sugar and oil and mill until thick.
Transfer the mixture to a chocolate bar mold to solidify in the fridge for several hours. Wrap it in parchment paper and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you need it!
Powdered sugar
There’s no need to buy powdered sugar because you can make it at home in just minutes. Mill the sugar in a blender, food processor, or grinder until it’s fine in texture.
Hot Chocolate Variations
The best thing about hot chocolate is that there are many ways to do it!
For instance, instead of using dark chocolate, you can use other kinds of chocolate like milk chocolate. In fact, Milo can also be a good option for the drink mix.
Meanwhile, other non-dairy alternatives to milk powder include coconut milk powder, cashew powder, and soy milk powder. On the other hand, there are also powdered sugar alternatives like coconut sugar or granulated sugar.
If you want to make the drink thick without adding corn flour, then some of the best substitutes for you are cream, chocolate chips, or condensed milk. However, don’t mix them into the dry powder. Just add them to the beverage while simmering.
For dairy-free milk options, you can go for coconut milk or almond milk. There are plenty of other plant-based you can use to make hot chocolate, choose one that best suits your taste.
Upgrade your recipe with other sweeteners or flavoring agents like vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, brown sugar, half-and-half, and even whipped cream.
How do you make your hot chocolate special?
Recommended Tools
- Grater: Shred the chocolate with a grater.
- Whisk: Stir the drink mix using a whisk.
- Bowl: Mix everything together in a bowl.
- Jar: Store the hot chocolate mix in a jar.
- Pot: Make the hot chocolate in a pot.
- Mug: Serve the drink in a mug.
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How to Serve Hot Chocolate
When is the best time to drink hot chocolate?
I especially love making hot chocolate for my family in the winter to make them feel warm, relaxed, and at home. It is especially fantastic to drink on a cold night after a busy day at work or school.
You can also make it for breakfast for a satisfying drink to make everyone’s day. It can even make your kids happy, energized, and satisfied in the morning.
In fact, you can even serve it with ice for an iced chocolate drink. Making a cold drink can also give you a sweet, chocolatey, and rich drink even on a summer day.
Complete your meal with any of these dishes to go with your drink:
- Breakfast Sandwich
- Sponge Cake
- Banana Puff Puff
- Plantain Bread
- Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- French Toast
- Pancakes
- Fluffy Donuts
- Chocolate Cake
- Almond Cupcakes
Hot chocolate may be irresistibly delicious but it still has sugar in it. Hence, Womanitely suggests drinking only up to two glasses of hot chocolate a day.
Storage Tips
- At room temperature: Drink the hot chocolate while it’s still hot or within two hours. On the other hand, you can store the drink powder for several months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is drinking hot chocolate healthy?
As long as you drink hot chocolate in moderation, it is going to be good for your health. In fact, adding cocoa to your diet lowers the risk of heart problems like stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
According to Bantu Chocolate, drinking hot chocolate also boosts brain function for better focus and memory. You will also think and feel so much better with this drink in your diet.
Why hot chocolate is the best?
Hot chocolate is one of the best drinks because not only does it satisfy your sweet tooth, but it also gives you a warm, soothing, and relaxing feeling whenever you drink it.
You can drink it during holidays, on a cold night, or anytime you want to rest and refresh yourself. It also comes with health benefits that you can experience.
How was hot chocolate originally made?
In 500 BC, the Mayans concocted hot chocolate with cocoa seeds, chili peppers, water, and cornmeal. They would pour it repeatedly from one cup to another until it was foamy and thick.
Is hot chocolate too sweet?
It depends on the ingredients you use. Hot chocolate isn’t actually sweet because of the cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Lessen the sweetness by using dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. You can also reduce the sugar in the recipe.
Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
Hot chocolate mix/poweder
- 2 bars dark chocolate (grated)
- 1½ cup milk powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp corn flour (optional)
Hot chocolate drink
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp hot chocolate mix
Instructions
Hot chocolate mix
- Shred dark chocolate with a grater.
- Whisk milk powder, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and corn flour in a bowl.
- Then, add the dark chocolate.
- Store the hot chocolate mix in a jar.
Hot chocolate drink
- In a pot, pour milk and add the hot chocolate mix/powder.
- Mix the contents well.
- Then, let it simmer for two minutes.
- The hot chocolate is ready to serve!
Notes
- Add corn flour to thicken the hot chocolate.
- Don’t let it simmer for too long.
- Use powdered sugar for a smooth and thick texture.