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This recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate is so quick and easy to make. No more mixes! This recipe uses your milk of choice, chopped chocolate, spices and it’s topped with a delicious my Coffee Marshmallows or Mint Chocolate Chip Marshmallows.
When the weather hits even a little brisk, I love to transition from my Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes to warm Matcha Lattes to a Gingerbread Latte. Hello, I love a flavored drink!
I don’t think anyone would argue that hot chocolate is the coziest of cozy drinks. And since this is lil’ blog is called A Cozy Kitchen I think I’ve gone way too long without sharing a proper recipe for it. So, let’s talk about this perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Milk – If you’re a dairy-free queen, feel free to use oat milk or almond. I love a nice low-fat dairy milk so it’s not too, too thick.
- Sugar – I don’t use too much sugar; just the right amount.
- Cinnamon stick – You can use some spices, if you like. I like simmering it with a cinnamon stick and a pinch salt. This adds a nice depth that isn’t detectable.
- Vanilla caviar – I love using a scrape of vanilla. I usually use an already used up vanilla bean from my Homemade Vanilla Extract. You don’t need a ton just 1/4 of the beans from a pod. Feel free to use a splash of vanilla extract if you don’t have a vanilla bean.
- Chocolate – I love a good rich bar of chocolate. I’m using semi-sweet but feel free to use bittersweet or dark chocolate. I would steer clear of milk chocolate because I fear it might be too sweet and if you do, you can leave out the sugar and add it to taste.
- Cocoa Powder – Baking cocoa powder will make this hot chocolate not too thick.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below!
Hot Cocoa vs. Hot Chocolate!
Let’s talk about the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate.
- Hot cocoa is cocoa powder dissolved into milk or (God forbid) water. I have good memories of hot cocoa, actually.
But during the holidays, it was always hot chocolate. My mom would tell us stories about how in Peru, on Christmas Eve, right before midnight mass, a big pot of hot chocolate was made. They’d take big blocks of chocolate, melt it and then mix it into warm milk until it dissolved.
- Thick hot chocolate is just melted chocolate into milk. It’s what they also call drinking chocolate.
But sometimes it’s too rich for me; hence why I like this iteration: half melted chocolate and half cocoa powder. It makes the best combination of the best texture and viscosity, sweetness and spice.
How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate!
1. Using a sharp knife, chop the chocolate into small pieces.
2. Add the cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, sugar, vanilla bean caviar (or extract) cinnamon stick and pinch of salt to a medium saucepan.
3. Warm it over medium-low heat until the chocolate has melted. Serve it immediately.
Recipe Tip
- Milk Chocolate – If you want to use milk chocolate (say that’s all you have), feel free to eliminate the sugar in the recipe.
- Stir regularly – Stir it regularly to avoid a skin from forming on the top.
- Dairy-free – If you’re looking for a healthier hot chocolate/less indulgent, check out my Oat Milk Hot Chocolate. It’s made with cacao powder, maple syrup and collagen powder.
Hot Cocoa vs. Hot Chocolate!
Let’s talk about the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate.
- Hot cocoa is cocoa powder dissolved into milk or (God forbid) water. I have good memories of hot cocoa, actually.
But during the holidays, it was always hot chocolate. My mom would tell us stories about how in Peru, on Christmas Eve, right before midnight mass, a big pot of hot chocolate was made. They’d take big blocks of chocolate, melt it and then mix it into warm milk until it dissolved.
- Thick hot chocolate is just melted chocolate into milk. It’s what they also call drinking chocolate.
But sometimes it’s too rich for me; hence why I like this iteration: half melted chocolate and half cocoa powder. It makes the best combination of the best texture and viscosity, sweetness and spice.
Recipe FAQs
This is a common question. I like my hot chocolate with milk (or a milk alternative) compared to water. I like the richness that milk or a milk alternative give hot chocolate. Water makes it a bit too thin in my taste.
My favorite toppings for hot chocolate are marshmallows, fluffy whipped cream and chocolate shavings. I like to keep it simple!
What To Serve with This Cup of Homemade Hot Chocolate
If you tried this Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Hot Chocolate
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk, or milk of choice (oat, almond, soy)
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1/2 whole vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- To a medium saucepan, placed over low heat, pour in all of the ingredients. Heat until a very gentle simmer and whisk until the chocolate has melted and is cohesive. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and discard.
- Divide amongst mugs and garnish with whipped cream, marshmallows or chocolate shavings.
Notes
- Milk Chocolate – If you want to use milk chocolate (say that’s all you have), feel free to eliminate the sugar in the recipe.
- Stir regularly – Stir it regularly to avoid a skin from forming on the top.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fancy ass indeed! Hot chocolate from scratch always tastes so much better than packet ones. This one looks so rich and thick and perfect.
I’m obsessed with those mugs!
Wow, this makes hot cocoa sound (and look) like drinking saw dust. I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I love everything about this! Will definitely have to give it a try.
My husband is Peruvian and my mother in law makes the best hot chocolate around Christmas time. She uses star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Yum!
OHMYGOD I NEED THIS. When I was a kid my jam was either peanut butter toast or cinnamon toast, folded up and dunked in hot chocolate. We were doing it right.
We knew how to liv.
Oh, love the touch of ancho chile powder in here! I’ll need to make this over the weekend! Mother Nature decided that she’d tease the NYC /NJ-area with 60 degree weather today and tomorrow.
Speaking of chocolate. Excited for your cookbook, sir! x
I feel like such a wimp complaining, but San Francisco has been REALLY COLD lately.. Thanks for a great recipe!
I was there last week and I thought it was legit cold!
Can I ask where you got those great mugs. Love them thanks
Yes! I got them from a thrift store in Palm Springs for $6! If you search on Ebay “copper ceramic mugs” you’ll find a bunch!
Sorry to ask my question here, but I couldn’t find how to comment–just to reply.
My question is why does it say it makes 2 cups of hot chocolate if there are 4 cups of milk in the recipe? I want to make this for my holiday party and will need to quadruple the recipe, and I am trying to decide how much of each ingredient to buy. Thank you.
Can I ask where you got those mugs. Love. Thanks