HOW TO MAKE REALLY GOOD HOT CHOCOLATE
Would you like to know how to make really good hot chocolate? The sort of hot chocolate that will make you feel like you’re sipping luxuriously decadent hot chocolate in a cafe in Paris? The sort of hot chocolate that your friends and family will remember with fondness and request over and over again? Well, here is how we do that at our house.
The instructions and measurements can be played with, so nothing here is super precise. Just go with it and have fun!
You will need:
semi-sweet chocolate chips
a bit of dark chocolate, chopped (We like Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bar and use 1 square per cup.)
milk (anything from 2% to whole milk)
heavy whipping cream
pure vanilla extract
1/2 t. sugar
kosher salt
Pour milk into each cup to fill about 2/3 full. Add heavy whipping cream to continue to about 3/4 full. Then pour all the milk/cream into a heavy saucepan, add a splash of vanilla extract and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Warm over medium heat until steaming.
While milk/cream is heating, place chopped dark chocolate and about 1 1/2 handfuls of chocolate chips into each cup.
Prepare whipped cream for the top of the hot chocolate by combining about 1/4 to 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream, 1/2 t. sugar, and a splash of vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk vigorously by hand (about 2-4 mins.) until cream whips into soft folds. You want it to be soft, not something you have to chew. (Alternatively, you can do this in a mixer, but take care not to over-whip.)
When milk/cream is steaming, pour immediately over the chocolate mixture in the cups. Whisk with a small whisk until all the chocolate is melted. Top with generous dollops of the softly whipped cream.
Alternatives:
We usually add one pump of Monin Salted Caramel Syrup to each cup.
Adding turmeric or a chai spice mix will give you a spicy hot chocolate.
Add a splash of whisky to create a spiked hot chocolate.
For a video tutorial on making this Really Good Hot Chocolate, see the archived story on my Instagram by clicking here.
