How to make the perfect hot chocolate: 5 Tips for Making the Perfect Hot Chocolate

Outside the window, it is autumn, the trees are dressed in multicolored gilding, rain is drizzling… It is the perfect time to take an interesting book, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, wrap yourself in a warm blanket, and enjoy the story and the incredible taste of the silky drink. Don’t know how to make it? No problem! We will show you how to make the perfect hot chocolate.

It might seem easy to make a cup of hot chocolate using the simplest recipe? You just need a spoonful of cocoa powder, hot milk, and sugar. But any cook will say: "This is not hot chocolate! In the end, we will only get a milky cocoa drink!" So what are the secrets to making a truly delicious chocolate drink?

You know, my family are true fans of chocolate and everything that can be made with cocoa. That’s why I have to make hot chocolate regularly, and therefore, today I have my own recipe for a perfectly tasty drink with a silky-smooth flavor, which I have been developing for several years. And, by the way, not without the help of Millennium, a company for which the authenticity of cocoa flavor is paramount. Here are some secrets of preparation.

Milk

In the classic version of making chocolate drink, whole cow’s milk is used. It is believed that the higher the milk fat content, the tastier the hot chocolate will be. Yes, this is true theory, but if you don’t consume fatty milk, it’s not a problem. You can use milk of any fat content. This is because cream is always added, so the consistency will be just right even with low-fat milk.

Important! If you are lactose intolerant, lactose-free milk will also work.

Cream

Pastry chefs recommend adding cream to the recipe to make perfect hot chocolate. Ideally, it should be cream with at least 30% fat content. This is needed to add a creamy flavor to the drink. But if you don’t have that in your fridge, cream with lower fat content will also do. Personally, I have made it with 10% cream, and the taste did not change much. And, in my opinion, cream is more needed to give hot chocolate a truffle flavor and pleasant silkiness.

Cocoa powder

What kind of hot chocolate is without cocoa powder?! Some famous cooks don’t even mention it. Probably because today it is almost impossible to buy truly tasty cocoa powder. Most of what is sold in stores is only suitable for making a cup of milky cocoa, and not for baking or hot chocolate. But a world-famous chef like Jamie Oliver is still sure that without quality cocoa powder, hot chocolate loses its flavor appeal. And I completely agree with him.

In the store, I found exactly the cocoa powder I needed. And it is “CHOCOLATIER” natural dark cocoa powder. Its advantage is the perfect chocolate taste, achieved by a high concentration of dry cocoa (80%) and cocoa butter (10-12%) in the composition.

Chocolate bar

Besides cocoa powder, to get the true aroma and taste of the drink, you should also add dark chocolate. Depending on how many cups you are making, add that amount of ready chocolate. For 2 servings, you need half a chocolate bar. Which chocolate to choose? In the Millennium dark chocolate line, there is a choice:

• “Millennium Very Peri” dark, in my opinion, is the best choice because it perfectly conveys the taste of cocoa and is not overly sweetened with sugar. It also contains enough cocoa butter to give hot chocolate the necessary silkiness.
• Millennium Favorite Brut dark 74% is suitable for a cup of hot chocolate for those who like a richer cocoa sensation, as it has a perfectly balanced taste of bitter dark chocolate with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
• Millennium Favorite dark 99% will appeal to those who love the natural taste of cocoa beans without extra additives.
• Dark chocolate 74% Millennium with stevia is a great option for those who do not consume sugar but still love sweets, including hot chocolate.

But the chef and author of books about sweets and chocolate, David Lebovitz, is sure that besides a bar of dark chocolate, you should also add milk chocolate to the drink in a 2:1 ratio. Apparently, the aroma becomes richer, and the taste incredibly smooth.

You can experiment by adding chocolate “Millennium Very Peri” milk, “Oskar le Grand” milk or Millennium milk chocolate with stevia.

Other additives

Yes, to make real hot chocolate, other ingredients are needed as well.

1. First, sugar. It is needed not only for sweetening but also for stabilizing the drink itself, as the consistency should be thick.
2. Second, starch. Starch also acts as a stabilizer, preventing hot chocolate from losing its properties when cooled and from separating. Corn or potato starch makes no difference because it does not affect the taste of the drink.
3. Third, spices. Spices give special notes to hot chocolate. You can add a couple of vanilla crystals, a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon. By the way, hot chocolate with cinnamon gives extra energy and fills you with strength. And if you need to warm up or even recover from a cold, it’s better to add red chili pepper (hot chocolate with pepper was prepared for the emperors of the ancient Aztecs).
4. Fourth, salt. At first glance, this additive seems quite strange, but in fact, salt gives the chocolate drink more richness. If you don’t believe it, try it with and without salt, and you will feel a vivid difference.

Recipe for perfect hot chocolate

Some people think that making hot chocolate is real magic, and you can only taste a truly delicious drink in an expensive restaurant. In fact, there is nothing complicated about making it, and you will do great with this task yourself.

For 2 cups of hot chocolate you will need:

• 0.5 liters of milk;
• half a bar of dark chocolate;
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder;
• 1.5 tablespoons of sugar (you can use less, depending on your taste);
• 0.5 teaspoon of starch;
• a pinch of salt;
• 100 ml of cream.

To make perfect hot chocolate, pour the milk into a stainless steel saucepan and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, grate the chocolate bar and add it to the milk. Stir the milk so the chocolate melts. Bring the milk to a boil.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and starch. Add cream to the dry mixture and mix well to avoid lumps. Pour the creamy mixture into the hot milk and stir until the hot chocolate starts to thicken.

All that’s left is to pour this magical chocolate drink into cups and then enjoy its taste with a loved one.