This easy hot chocolate recipe is made with real chocolate, and tastes rich, delicious and creamy.It's the perfect treat for kids and adults after a cold day outside.
When I shared my hot chocolate toppings charcuterie-inspired dessert board the other day, I got so many comments asking for my homemade hot chocolate recipe. It's SO easy that I've never thought to share it before!
It literally takes only a few minutes to make and requires just chocolate, cocoa powder, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. I've used this recipe for the past ten years and it's always a hit.
My favorite part is how easy it is to scale. I regularly only make half the batch so that there's just enough for me and my kids, but if we're having guests over, I like to double it and keep it warm in a slow cooker.
Sometime I'll even split it and make two variations - one with peppermint extract added and then just the plain one!
Then top it with freshly whipped cream or marshmallows to make it extra special. I'm partial to these cute snowflake ones that I found at my grocery store. So cute, right?!
If you find that the hot cocoa is too sweet for your liking (I think it's perfect and I don't like really sweet things) just increase the milk by another quarter to half cup.
Don't forget to add the salt to the batch - it gives it more depth of flavor instead of just sweet!
So incredibly simply but so much better than any packet mix you'll ever try, I promise!
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Best Ever Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder I like extra dark
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a pot over a low to medium heat
- Stir in chocolate chips and sugar and whisk until melted.
- Add the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla.
- Continue heating until hot.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in the pot or a slow cooker.
Judith Sullivan
Is the cocoa powder added with the chocolate chips?
Jenna Shaughnessy
Yes! I actually add it all together and whisk until warm and everything had melted and combined