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Creamy Hot Chocolate Recipe for a Fabulous Winter

Learn how to make an easy, creamy hot chocolate recipe that is perfect for winter! This recipe also shows you how to make the mix for gifting. It’s so simple!

Creamy Hot Chocolate Recipe

This weekend the temperatures are set to dip down low so I figured it’s time to make a tasty winter drink is creamy, delicious, and every single person in my family loves.

Today I am sharing my favorite homemade version of a hot chocolate recipe, so rich and perfect that it puts the cocoa packets in my cupboard to shame.

rich hot chocolate recipe

Plus, it’s really not that much more work to make from scratch and the results are so decadent you will die and go to creamy hot chocolate heaven. You can also make the mix ahead and store it for later.

Although, if you are capable of doing such a thing, your willpower should be celebrated with a parade. Here is how you make my favorite homemade hot cocoa recipe!

(Learn how to make pink hot chocolate)


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds from a tiny segment of fresh vanilla bean
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Tools

  • Food processor
  • Saucepan

Tips and Thoughts for This Recipe

  • If you don’t have a food processor, chop or grate the chocolate until it is as fine as you can get it. You can use a knife to chop it. You can also put the chocolate in a plastic bag and put a towel over it and smash with a hammer to break it apart.
  • Should you use bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate? Bittersweet has more cocoa, so less sugar and a deeper and more bitter flavor. Semisweet is a big sweeter. Having said that, it’s hard to taste the difference.
  • You’ll see cacao and cocoa when you shop for the powder. Cacao powder is less processed, but also not as sweet. Plus cacao has more antioxidants. I’ll leave that choice up to you!
  • For the richest hot cocoa, use whole milk. But you can also use coconut, almond milk, oat milk, or any percentage of regular milk you would like.
  • If you want to spice it up a bit, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne (per serving) to make it a Mexican hot chocolate.
  • To make in a slow cooker or crockpot, add the milk and mix to the crockpot and simmer on low for 1 – 2 hours. Put one cup of milk and 3T in the crockpot per serving.
  • You can top your beverage with marshmallows, whipped cream, more chopped chocolate, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, or anything you like.
  • Mixture keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.
how to make creamy hot chocolate

Add some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to go along on the side, and you’ll have yourself a blissful fall or winter sugar coma for days!

winter hot chocolate

Get the printable recipe for this tasty drink below!

Yield: 8 servings

Creamy Hot Chocolate

how to make creamy hot chocolate

This delicious winter hot chocolate is so creamy and rich that it will put the hot cocoa packets in your cupboard to shame. So easy to make!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 3 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Add the chocolate to a food processor and blend until powdery, or as small as you can get it. You can use a knife if you don't have a processor.Chopping-chocolate-up-with-a-knife
  2. Stir in the remaining ingredients: the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.Hot-chocolate-powder-in-a-ceramic-dish
  3. Heat one cup of milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steamy.Heating-milk-on-the-stove
  4. Add three tablespoons of the hot cocoa mix. Whisk over heat for another minute or two, until it begins to simmer and mix is completely dissolved.Melting chocolate on the stove to make hot chocolate
  5. Pour into mug; top with mini-marshmallows or a dollop of whipped cream.Pouring hot chocolate into a mug from a saucepan

Notes

Nutrition information for mix only. Please add calories, etc. for an additional one cup of the type of milk you use when serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 serving

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a rating or share a photo on Pinterest!


What is your favorite way to enjoy creamy, homemade hot chocolate? Homemade or store bought? Whipped cream or marshmallows? I’d love to hear your take! And be sure to visit us as we blog about style, food, and the things we love over at the Pretty Life Girls.

PS – for a unique way to gift delicious chocolate, visit this hot chocolate on stick idea. So fun! We’d also love for you to check out the following ideas:

Paige

Monday 26th of October 2015

This hot chocolate looks so delicious and is probably a million times better than the packets!

Paige https://www.thehappyflammily.com/

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