The blend of the cream based chocolate with the hot milk makes for the most rich, decadent, creamy hot chocolate you’ll ever have!
I grew up drinking this delicious decadent French hot chocolate. Its a recipe passed down from my mom’s mom to my mom and now to me. It is a holiday staple in our home!
It is made with bittersweet bakers chocolate so it has a rich taste unlike any other hot chocolate I have had elsewhere. There is added sugar so it isn’t just bitter.
It is a cream based chocolate, but not in the sense you would think. The hot chocolate is made by melting the chocolate with water, adding sugar and salt, and then folding that mixture with whipped cream and served over hot milk.
Ingredients
Bittersweet Bakers Chocolate – the bitterness of this chocolate lends to a beautiful not overly sweet end result
Sugar – you could use any sugar here besides brown sugar
Salt – a good quality salt or sea salt results in the best flavor
Water – it is best to use filtered water as to not effect the taste of the hot chocolate
Heavy Cream – this heavy cream will be whipped into whipped cream. You can use raw or pasteurized.
FAQ
Can I make this ahead of time? Absolutely! I love to make a big batch of this and store it in a freezer safe container and enjoy it all winter long!
If I cook it longer than the recipe says will there be anything wrong? No, I tend to cook it longer than the 4 minutes stated to help with a thicker end result.
Can I mix the chocolate cream with water instead? I don’t recommend this. It doesn’t incorporate as well as it does when mixed into milk.
I froze my chocolate cream and there is liquid in the bottom. What did I do? Nothing! This is a natural occurrence when stored in the freezer for a long time. Just stir it all together and it’s good as new. You will find that the mixture thins out over time due to this but it doesn’t affect the flavor or end result.
How to Make This Decadent French Hot Chocolate
In a sauce pan you will put the 2 oz of bittersweet bakers chocolate with a 1/2 cup of water. Mix this with a whisk or spatula until the chocolate is all melted and the mixture is thick.
Once it is thick add 1/2 a cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering set a timer for 4 minutes and let the mixture cook while you stir it.
Once the timer goes off take the pan off the heat and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
When it is done sitting whip your cream until there are stiff peaks
When the chocolate is cooled and your whipped cream is made fold the whipped cream into the chocolate
If serving immediately heat up your desired amount of milk on the stove or microwave
Add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate cream mixture into your warm milk and stir
You can add more chocolate cream to your desired sweetness level
If not serving immediately you can store the cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or store it in the freezer for up to a month.
Decadent French Hot Chocolate
The blend of the cream based chocolate with the hot milk makes for the most rich, decadent, creamy hot chocolate you'll ever have!
Ingredients
- 2 oz bittersweet bakers chocolate
- 1/2 C water
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 C heavy cream
Instructions
1. In a sauce pan you will put the 2 oz of bittersweet bakers chocolate with a 1/2 cup of water. Mix this with a whisk or spatula until the chocolate is all melted and the mixture is thick.
2. Once it is thick add 1/2 a cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering set a timer for 4 minutes and let the mixture cook while you stir it.
3. Once the timer goes off take the pan off the heat and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
4. When it is done sitting whip your cream until there are stiff peaks
5. When the chocolate is cooled and your whipped cream is made fold the whipped cream into the chocolate
6. If serving immediately heat up your desired amount of milk on the stove or microwave
7. Add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate cream mixture into your warm milk and stir
Notes
You can add more chocolate cream to your desired sweetness level
If not serving immediately you can store the cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or store it in the freezer for up to a month.