i want to compile my hot chocolate recipes
base recipe: serves four, or two big mugs
1/4 cup unsweetened coco powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar OR brown sugar
2 tablespoons of corn starch
4 cups of milk
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
whisk the first three together in a small pot until there are NO clumps, unless you wanna bite into a chunk of cornstarch later.
add the milk and heat on like medium, stirring every now and then, until you see a little bit of steam, or until holding your hand over the pot feels hot rather than warm, or until there are tiny bubbles around the edges. try not to let it boil or it'll form a weird skin later.
add the chips and stir frequently until they're fully melted. and you're done!
other notes: i recommend whole milk, but oat or almond work fine, as should any other milk-substitute. just make sure it's not sweetened, or adjust the sugar accordingly you could add a splash of vanilla if you want, but you have to add a lot to taste it, and my taste isn't that expensive you can go anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of sugar, depending on your sweet tooth the sweetness of your chocolate chips will also be a factor. semisweet or bittersweet would probably be best as you can easily add more sugar later, but milk chocolate wont hurt anyone. don't use white chocolate similarly, 2-4 tablespoons of corn starch depending on how thick you want it. 4 will taste like you're drinking hot pudding
i'll add the variations later
later is now
add at the beginning:
Mexican hot chocolate: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of chipotle powder or ancho chili powder or anything smoky like that, optional strong pinch of cayenne
Pho inspired: 1/4 tsp star anise (or 4 star anise pods), 1/8 tsp cloves (or 3 cloves), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom, a pinch of ginger. strain out the spices at the end if you don't use the powders
Canadian: use 2-4 tbsp of maple syrup instead of sugar
The Bee Movie: use 2-4 tbsp of honey instead of sugar
Sticky toffee pudding: use less brown sugar, 1 tbsp of molasses, 1/4 cup of pitted dates OR 2 tsp date powder, 2 tsp of vanilla. if using dates, simmer until soft, then you can remove them and eat or blend them in. be careful when blending hot liquids! if you add whipped cream on top, you can drizzle some caramel sauce and/or add chopped walnuts for authenticity
Eggnog: use eggnog instead of milk. don't add cornstarch, use half the sugar, and be Much more careful not to let it boil
Spiced cider: brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp clove powder, pinch of allspice powder, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp apple extract OR 2 tsp apple powder, optional 1/4 tsp of orange extract. disclaimer that i haven't tried this one but i've been thinking about it i don't see any reason why it wouldn't work!
Pumpkin spice: 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, add to the pan and cook on medium until it doesn't taste raw (5-10 minutes). use 4-5 tbsp of maple syrup instead of the sugar, then 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger
Sesame: use brown sugar or maple syrup (2-4 tbsp), 2 tbsp tahini, 1 tsp toasted or regular sesame oil, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a small pinch of salt. optionally sprinkle pistachios on top
Tea: after adding the milk but before adding the chocolate chips, steep 2-4 teabags in the milk. steep as directed on the teabag, usually 5-10 minutes, then remove teabags and melt in the chips. i've used mint, lavender, rose, earl grey, vanilla chai, english breakfast, chamomile, lemongrass, and you can do combinations like vanilla rose or lavender chamomile for extra sleepiness. i don't like fruit teas but those would probably work well too
Gingerbread: 1 & 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1 tbsp molasses
add at the end:
Hazelnut: swap 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips for nutella
Peanut: stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. you may want to halve the corn starch or remove it entirely
Almond: stir in 1/2 tsp almond extract
Orange: stir in 1 tsp orange extract
Mint: stir in 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Jam: stir in any kind of fruit jam. i recommend peach or cherry, but any works, as long as it's as smooth as possible (you can blend it if need be, but be careful blending hot liquids!)
Boba: add brown sugar syrup and as much boba as you like to the cup before pouring in hot chocolate. you've earned it
Salted caramel: use half the sugar, then at the end add 1-2 tbsp of dulche de leche or any caramel sauce, 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt proportional to how much sugar you add
Mocha: whisk in espresso powder, anywhere from a strong pinch to 2 tsp depending on how much you like coffee. (also a good fix if you accidentally add too much sugar)
Alcohol: you could easily add anything that won't curdle the milk. off the top of my head, probably amaretto or baileys will be fine? i don't drink so idk
other notes:
start small! remember you can always add more sugar or seasonings, but you can't take them back out.
and, ofc, toppings! whipped cream, marshmallows, nuts, fruits, candy, cookie crumbles, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and anything else you can think of! i generally only use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, but you can also use any chocolate bar you like, as long as it's chopped up. except white chocolate, because you'd have to adjust the milk and sugar ratios so much you'd basically be making a whole new recipe, and white chocolate is gross. if you do tho try it with lavender, rose, or matcha bc im curious
feel free to combine some of these, too- off the top of my head, chai hot chocolate with ancho and cayenne, or hazelnut mocha, honey cinnamon, tahini cardamom, peach cayenne, or even orange mint if you want to drink something that tastes bad
