Basically hot chocolate is just milk and chocolate. But it’s not that simple! There are so many ingredients and heating methods that can change the profile of this delicious holiday drink.
Milk
For creamy hot chocolate you are going to have to use milk. Choices of milk can include cows, almond, soy, or any other plant based milks.
Chocolate
Cocoa powder and chopped chocolate are your main options here. Chopped chocolate with high percentage of cocoa butter will produce a creamier hot chocolate. The flavor profile will really be influenced by the quality of chocolate.
Add in Extras and spice it up
You can go sweet by adding vanilla, cinnamon, lavender or lemon zest. Or you could go spicy with Chinese five spice, cayenne pepper, chili peppers or chai spice. Also you can add peanut butter or Nutella for a nutty taste. For those adults who prefer liquor you could add Peppermint Schnapps for a sweet Holiday drink. Or you could add Kahlua for a mocha flavor.
Top it off
Top off your hot chocolate with whipped cream or marshmallows. You can also add cinnamon or peppermint sticks to use when stirring your hot chocolate.
Recipes
Here is a great recipe I found via fifteen spatulas to get you started making your own Hot Chocolate from home.
Here is a recipe for Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate from onesweetmess.com
Here is a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate
