A cup of hot chocolate is simply the best companion you can have at any time of the year. This keeps you warm on a cold winter morning but also gives you a push to start or end a day during summer. Hot chocolates are also an indelible part of our childhood. Our mothers even use to cook hot chocolates before we go to school. Even with the proliferation of easy to make hot chocolates, nothing beats the simple but homemade ones that we had back then. Believe us; the reason is more than just having a trip back to our childhood days.

The Case for Homemade Hot Chocolates

Homemade hot chocolates basically have a richer flavor and thicker texture, which add to the unique experience of enjoying this hot drink at home. Other variants, such as hot cocoa mix and other ready to drink chocolate mix often lack the texture and the richness of the taste. Moreover, you can alter the sweetness with homemade chocolate drink, which is something you cannot do when you buy its instant packed counterpart.

What kind of Chocolate Suits best for hot chocolate?

Santa Barbara Chocolate believes that using bittersweet or dark chocolate makes the best homemade chocolate drink at home. Adding a mix of milk, milk powder and cornstarch boost the flavor and create a more even flavor. If you are a vegan, there are a lot of milk substitutes on the market so you can still enjoy the warmth of hot chocolate.

We also advise to boil the milk, then add chocolate and boil them together to achieve a smooth flavor. Most people simply add the chocolate to the boiling milk, stir the pot without boiling the melted chocolate. This practice creates an uneven taste.

Finding the Ingredients

Making homemade chocolate is easy once you buy these ingredients. Here are the ingredients:

150 grams (3/4 cups) dark chocolate chips, preferably 60% to 70% cocoa content.

3 grams (1 teaspoon) Corn Starch

2 cups whole milk. If you are a vegan, there are a lot of substitutes here. Soya, almond, coconut and other plants are best known to be substitutes for milk.

50 grams milk powder

1 cup whipped cream, although you can cut this from the recipe if you have a tight budget.

On Creating the Perfect Hot Chocolate Drink

We divide the preparation of the perfect hot chocolate milk with creating the toppings first, then the milk chocolate:

For the whipped cream:

Pour a cup of whipped cream into a medium mixing bowl. Then this to the freezer for five minutes.

Take the bowl of out the freezer then mix the cream using a whisking machine. If you do not own one at home, a whisk can fulfill the job albeit for a longer time.

Stop whisking once the cream gains a texture of marshmallow fluff. Refrigerate the whipped cream to retain the right fluffiness while you make the hot chocolate.

For the hot chocolate:

Pour 2 cups of milk into the pot and boil over medium heat. This quantity makes a serving of 4 hot chocolates, so add or lessen the quantity depending on the family size.

While you boil the milk, prepare a ½ cup of milk powder and one teaspoon of cornstarch. You can buy a kitchen scale if you are keen on the weight, albeit our serving makes a pretty accurate assessment.

Combine the two in a mixing bowl using a whisk to combine.

Prepare about 150g (approximately ¾ cup) of dark chocolate or chopped chocolate.

Note that the boiling milk should not bubble by using a whisk.

Then pour the chocolates while mixing the boiling milk. Add the cornstarch and milk powder mixture. Whisk for even flavoring.

Do not turn off the heat until the chocolate boils. However, turn off the stove as soon as its starts bubbling so this will not thicken too much.

Pour the chocolate immediately into the serving glasses.

Lastly, garnish the drink with whipped cream on top. Then serve your perfect hot chocolate immediately.

There you go, the perfect milk chocolate that you and your friends can enjoy anytime.

The Santa Barbara Chocolate Experience

Santa Barbara Chocolate offers a wide range of bittersweet and dark chocolate, and even vegan chocolate to choose from. Visit our online store today and shop with us today!