Thick and Creamy Italian Hot Chocolate Recipe
Italian Hot Chocolate is so rich, thick and luxuriously creamy, it seems indulgent! My gourmet hot chocolate recipe takes 15 mins. to make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3.5 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa), chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the whole milk.
- To a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
- Add the dark chocolate and stir until melted.
- To the reserved ½ cup milk, add cornstarch and stir until fully dissolved.
- With the chocolate mixture still simmering, whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
This makes a moderately rich and thick hot chocolate. For an even richer hot chocolate, use dark cocoa powder and/or add a darker (up to 80%) chocolate. You can also substitute heavy cream for a portion of the milk (½ to 1 cup recommended)
The chocolate bar should be high quality and sweetened. If you use unsweetened chocolate, you will need to use additional sugar in this recipe.
You can taste the hot chocolate after it has thickened and adjust the flavor by adding additional sugar or semi-sweet/dark chocolate.
Making the cornstarch slurry helps prevent lumps from forming in the hot chocolate. Lumps will form when cornstarch is added directly to a hot mixture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 362cal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 244mg | Sugar: 30g | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 323mg | Iron: 3mg