You can make the best hot chocolate with just two ingredients: dark chocolate and milk. Start with the best dark chocolate you can buy. You can keep it simple or you can infuse the milk with Earl Grey tea, masala chai, spices, herbs, extracts, etc. Hot chocolate is very easy to make and deeply satisfying.
This post was sponsored by Cacao Barry.
My mom used to serve us hot chocolate in tiny, very fancy china teacups when we were growing up. I remember having it after playing with the dogs out in the backyard in the dead of winter. The tiny teacups only came out when we were having hot chocolate. I'm honestly not sure what else you would serve in tiny teacups besides hot chocolate.
If you are in the middle of winter, like we are, and you are craving other hot beverages, try this Turkish coffee (great afternoon caffeine jolt) and hot buttered rum (because sometimes, booze is the answer).
Hot Chocolate Versus Hot Cocoa
I suspect a lot of people think that hot chocolate and hot cocoa are the same. They are both hot, chocolaty beverages, but they aren't made in the same way.
Hot chocolate is made from chocolate and milk, while hot cocoa is often made from cocoa powder and boiling water. Hot cocoa mix may also contain sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, or other ingredients.
Ingredients
Both hot chocolate and hot cocoa are very easy to make at home and require few ingredients. Hot chocolate made with real chocolate has a richer, more luscious flavour. And the more chocolate you add, the more unctuous and luxurious hot chocolate becomes.
To make hot chocolate, you will need:
- milk—I use whole milk (3.25 % fat) but any milk will work. Obviously, the higher the fat content, the creamier the chocolate beverage will be!
- chocolate—I use 70 % dark chocolate from the brand Cacao Barry called Ocoa. It is not very sweet.
- Earl Grey tea (optional)—I love the combination of Earl Grey tea and dark chocolate so I infused the milk with tea before adding the chocolate. This is optional.
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
In recipes like hot chocolate, where chocolate is the star and one of two main ingredients, use the best chocolate for baking with great flavour.
To make this hot chocolate, I used Ocoa chocolate from Cacao Barry, which is a 70% cocoa dark chocolate with a deep chocolate flavour. You can find it at IGA grocery stores in Quebec in 1-kilo resealable bags.
If you aren’t living in Quebec, you can order this chocolate online (and many other Cacao Barry products) via the Vanilla Food Company website. They ship across Canada and to the United States! This means that we all have access to professional quality chocolates at the click of a button. Investing in the best chocolate will make the best hot chocolate. It's that simple.
Ratio of Milk-to-Chocolate
For a luscious hot chocolate that is not too thick and not too thin, you want to start with two parts of milk (preferably whole milk) and one part of dark chocolate (the best chocolate you can buy and preferably 70% cacao chocolate), so 2:1 by volume. This means 2 cups (500 mL) milk mixed with 1 cup (250 mL) chocolate. By weight, this works out to 25% dark chocolate in whole milk or 175 grams of dark chocolate melted with 500 grams of milk.
This is how I personally make the best hot chocolate to suit my taste, but you might want to tweak this recipe to make it the way you like it, with more or less chocolate.
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe will work with dark, milk, or white chocolate. You could also try ruby chocolate or caramelized white chocolate for fun twists on the classic chocolate drink. There are so many flavours that pair well with hot chocolate and dark chocolate. In the recipe below, I infused the milk with Earl Grey tea before making the hot chocolate. I've done this to make Earl grey chocolate truffles and this Earl Grey chocolate tart. Here are a few examples of how you can get creative and flavour hot chocolate. Remember that in all cases, you will have to experiment to get the flavour you want. Make sure to add less flavouring first and add more as needed. If you add too much, you can't go back!
- Tea-infused hot chocolate: steep the milk with a few tea bags (or a tea strainer with loose-leaf tea) to add tons of flavour before adding the chocolate
- Spiced hot chocolate: add cinnamon, cardamom, or even some dried chilli for a kick
- Nutty hot chocolate: stir in a little nut butter, like tahini or peanut butter. Start with ¼ cup (60 mL) and add more to taste.
- Peppermint hot chocolate: stir in a little peppermint extract. Start with around ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and add more as needed.
- Lactose-free: use lactose-free milk
- Non-dairy: use your favourite non-dairy beverage, like almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Soy milk also works great here!
How To Make Hot Chocolate With Real Chocolate
Making hot chocolate with real chocolate is so simple. All you have to do is heat the milk, add the chocolate, and stir it to melt.
Step 1: Place the milk in a saucepan (image 1). Heat the milk with any flavour ingredients that need to steep. I added a few Earl Grey tea bags to the pot (image 2). Once the tea has steeped for long enough, remove the tea bags from the hot milk (image 3), then add the chopped chocolate (image 4)
Note: If you'd like to infuse hot chocolate with tea or spices, you would want to do that before, then strain it out and add the chocolate to the hot infused milk.
Step 2: Let the chocolate and milk mixture stand for 1 minute, then stir the two to combine them. Use an immersion blender to ensure the hot chocolate is smooth. Serve hot.
If you chill this drink for several hours before serving, you will have homemade dark chocolate milk! Just make sure to give it a good shake before serving.
Hot Chocolate Trick for Foam
Finishing the hot chocolate with an immersion blender not only smoothes it out, eliminating any lumps, and it also adds a lovely froth to your drink!
Serving Suggestions
Obviously, you can serve hot chocolate with whipped cream or homemade vanilla marshmallows. I also like to serve them with a cookie, like these slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies or these gingerbread cookie cutouts. These would also taste great with chewy chocolate sugar cookies or fancy chocolate sablés.
Hot Chocolate FAQs
Hot chocolate really is just milk and chocolate. For this reason, pick the best chocolate you can afford. Opt for a chocolate that you love the taste of since it is the star of this chocolate drink.
You can make hot chocolate with water, producing a cleaner taste without the dairy notes interfering. I personally prefer to use milk. But that's really up to you. Give both a try and see which you prefer!
If you tried this recipe for hot chocolate (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Hot Chocolate with Earl Grey Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
- 3 tea bags loose leaf Earl Grey tea optional
- 150 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
Instructions
- Place the pan of milk on the heat. If infusing with tea, add the tea bags to the milk. Heat over medium–high heat until it's almost boiling. Remove from the heat and, if using tea, let steep 5 minutes. Squeeze the bags and remove them.
- Add the dark chocolate to the hot milk. Let stand for 1 minute then stir to melt. Use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture to yield smooth hot chocolate. This will also a lovely froth to the hot chocolate.
- Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs. Serve immediately as is, or with a dollop of sweet whipped cream or a marshmallow.
Notes
- Tea-infused hot chocolate: steep the milk with a few tea bags (or a tea strainer with loose leaf tea) to add tons of flavour before adding the chocolate
- Spiced hot chocolate: add cinnamon, cardamom, or even some dried chilli for a kick
- Nutty hot chocolate: stir in a little nut butter, like tahini or peanut butter. Start with ¼ cup (60 mL) and add more to taste.
- Peppermint hot chocolate: stir in a little peppermint extract. Start with around ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and add more as needed.
Nutrition
This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry. I was compensated monetarily and with product. Thanks for supporting the companies that allow me to create content for Kitchen Heals Soul. As always, please know that I wouldn’t work with a sponsor nor recommend a product if it wasn’t worth it.
Please note this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy a product I recommend, I will get a small commission, and the price you have to pay will not change in any way.
Sheila says
Ocoa has an intense cocoa flavour I love so much. Will definitely be making this as we are still having minus 4 temperatures here. Thanks for the recipe.
Janice says
I think it will be hot chocolate season for at least another month! Let me know how you like the recipe when you make it 🙂
Charlotte says
Hot chocolate and earl grey are two of my favorite things. I can't believe I haven't put them together yet! Definitely trying this recipe ASAP
Janice says
It's a great pairing! I'm sure you will love it!