Why to make a post about hot chocolate? Yes, it’s a good question, in effect it’s supposed to be a quite easy thing, but if I look around there are really few places making a real good hot chocolate (I repeat: hot chocolate, not simply milk with cocoa), too many places are making unpleasant “hot chocolates” with too much watery textures, and I see also many people buying those premix powders (why?! it’s so easy and much better to do it in the old way! 🙂 and much more rewarding).

And now it’s coming the cold season slowly, so it’s absolutely important the hot chocolate! 😀

I hate the premix powders, they are all sugar, average cacao and many additives and thickeners. And since it’s so easy to make it much better with simple ingredients, I don’t see any reason to buy those industrial products. Moreover it’s a thing I do not often, so when I do it it has to be well done 🙂

All we need is milk, dark chocolate, cacao and some sugar. Plus some natural aromas according to your taste. That’s all! It will be delicious, silky and intense!

Let’s see how to do it.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 cups):

• 400 ml whole milk, 3,5% or higher
• 60 g of good quality 70% dark chocolate (better quality means usually more cocoa butter)
• 15 g good quality cocoa powder
• 15-20 g sugar
• a pinch of salt
• chili, or cinnamon, or a vanilla bean, or rum (optional)

1. First of all cut the chocolate with a knife, into small pieces.
2. Take a small pot and heat the milk at medium heat. Keep stirring with a whisk, it must not burn on the bottom. If you want to use the chili, add it now in a filter, 1 minute of infusion should be enough but try it (take care because it could become easily too much spicy).
3. When the milk start to boil (it will grow higher) switch off the heat, then add the sugar and the chocolate, whisk well until melted. Then add the cocoa and keep whisking until there are no lumps. Add also the salt.
4. Now bring it back to the heat for other 2-3 minutes. Keep whisking.
5. Then let it cool down, and serve it 🙂 enjoy!

PS: to make even smoother you could use 1/4 of fresh cream 😉 and you can also use an immersion blender just before serving it.