Homemade tastes best
This is how you succeed in making the perfect hot chocolate
Fine, creamy, chocolaty and not too sweet: Have you ever made your own real hot chocolate? Here are a few tips for the perfect hot chocolate.
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Hot chocolate is the perfect drink to warm you up during the winter months.
Jessica Chautems
What’s better than a hot chocolate on a gray day? A little chocolate powder in the milk heated in the microwave and you’re done. For real? Too much sugar, too little chocolate and an unsatisfactory aftertaste are inevitable.
With a few simple tricks you can create the perfect hot chocolate. It should be chocolatey but not bitter, creamy but not thick, and sweet but not overly sweet.
A little cream
The first tip to get a creamy result is a mixture of cream and milk (cow, soy, oats, rice… ). Depending on your preference, you can mix a dash or more of the cream with the milk. Be careful not to overheat the milk.
The other key ingredient is the chocolate, either in the form of chocolate bars or cocoa. In a recipe with so few ingredients, don’t skimp on the quality of the chocolate.
You can experiment with different types and different cocoa content. If you like it very exquisite, you can use a special mixture for hot chocolate, which is offered in many bakeries.
Cocoa, but without lumps
The chocolate should be combined with about the same amount of cocoa powder. This makes the drink creamy and gives it a more intense taste.
Another trick to avoid those awful lumps of cocoa: instead of pouring the cocoa powder into the milk, make a paste in a separate bowl by vigorously mixing some milk or cream with the cocoa. This mixture is then added to the warm milk.
flavor enhancer
Here you go! A pinch of salt and a spoonful of instant coffee are enough to bring out the different flavors while reducing bitterness. Now you can refine the perfect hot chocolate according to your taste: add spices or alcohol as well as whipped cream or marshmallows as toppings.
Recipe for 2 people
You need:
- 4dl milk
- 1dl + a dash of full cream
- 50 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 small pinch of salt
- 1/3 tsp instant coffee
That’s how it’s done:
- Place the milk and cream in a pan and heat over medium-high heat until smoke starts to appear and small bubbles form around the edges. Be careful not to burn the milk and stir regularly.
- Give in parallel add the cocoa and a dash of cream in a separate bowl. Stir vigorously until a homogeneous mass is formed.
- Reduce the heat and add the broken chocolate, cocoa paste, salt and instant coffee. Mix well until the chocolate has melted. Add sugar if you like.
- Pour into cups and add spices or toppings.