If chocolate could hug you on a chilly day...
What makes a game or watching your favorite sports documentary even better? If the weather’s chilly, nothing beats a mug of hot chocolate!
One of my favorite memories when I was a kid was to walk to the concession stand during a high school football game and order a hot chocolate in a paper cup. But the powdery packet mixed with hot water always tasted…well watery. The idea of a steaming cup of hot chocolate was better than what I actually tasted.
"This will transport you to a European holiday."
Decades later, I went to Spain on my honeymoon. That’s where I ordered a hot chocolate and churros, a fried-kruller type donut dusted with cinnamon and sugar. (Think of the English tea tradition for an afternoon respite.) I received a small cup of thick, dark hot chocolate, almost like a ganache. The chocolate is so thick, you can dip your churros in to coat them without it being drippy. The richness of the chocolate means you don’t need much in a small cup to find it totally satisfying.
We patterned our Decadent Hot Chocolate recipe after that. We took the best of the sipping chocolates of Spain and made it easy to make at home. This will transport you to a European holiday!
When you make a big pot of hot chocolate for a crowd, it’s often difficult to get it hot without it scorching the milk or creating a visually unappealing milk skim on the top.
This recipe is a thick almost pudding-like base. Then you take a tablespoon or two (depending on how chocolatey you want it) and pour over more warm milk to dissolve. So, it’s easy to make hot chocolate for one or a crowd just the way you want it.
If you like your hot chocolate thicker, add less milk or half and half. If you want it more American-style, add more milk or half and half.
We have a frother that warms and froths the milk, so we do it that way. No frother. No problem. Just warm the pudding mixture and the milk in a mug in the microwave.
This recipe makes a lot – but leftovers are easy. You can serve it for a crowd. Or make it once and enjoy it many times. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays and use 1-2 cubes per mug of hot chocolate. Let the pudding mixture thaw completely in the cup and then add warm milk and stir.
The pudding base is similar to a French Pot de Creme. My husband ate the chocolate base cold like a chocolate mousse and skipped the whole hot chocolate thing altogether.
The spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves -- bring a wonderful complexity to the bittersweet chocolate. Cayenne brings the heat. (I sprinkle extra cayenne on mine. You get the hot drink and the warmth of the subtle spiciness.) A pinch of salt brings out all the flavors.Brown sugar gives it a touch of rich sweetness.
In Spain, they don’t use marshmallows. And this recipe really doesn’t need them either. It’s perfect chocolate simplicity without them.
Looking for another hot drink treat? Try our Lovable London Fog. Of if you want to dunk a cookie into your Decadent Hot Chocolate, might we suggest a shortbread, particularly our Cranberry Orange Pistachio Shortbread.
Decadent Hot Chocolate
Recipe Ingredients
1 lb (16 oz.) 72% dark chocolate bar
4 c half & half
½ t instant coffee (remember, it has to be instant granules not coffee grounds)
1/8 t salt
1/8 t ground cloves spice
1/8 t nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
¼ t cayenne pepper
½ t almond extract
2 t vanilla extract
2 ½ T brown sugar packed
To serve on top (optional):
Extra chocolate shavings
A sprinkle of nutmeg or cayenne pepper
Preparation Instructions
1. On a cutting board with a sharp knife, shred some thick chocolate shards for the garnish (About 2 tablespoons).
2. Then chunk the rest of the chocolate and put in a food processor. Whirl until it’s in big crumbles. (This helps it melt evenly in the half and half.)
3. Pour half and half into a big saucepan that’s on medium low heat on the stove.
4. Add instant coffee, chocolate and all other ingredients.
5. Stir until melded and thick.
Serving options
1. Serve in tiny ramekins as a mousse with a spoon.
2. Put about 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate in the bottom of a mug. Add warm frothed milk or half and half (if you have a frother). If not, you can warm the mixture in the microwave.
3. When hot, top with chocolate shards.
4. Optional toppings: sprinkle with a little nutmeg or cayenne, depending on how you like it.
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