Homemade Hot Chocolate: A Warm and Cozy Treat for Beginner Cooks
Enjoy a rich and chocolatey warm drink with this easy recipe. Perfect for cold days and cozy nights with family.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop, Heating, Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Milk (2 cups)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
- Cocoa powder (2 tbsp)
- Brown sugar (1 tbsp)
- Salt (pinch)
- Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients (The Ingredient Integration): To a medium saucepan, add the whole milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, unsweetened cocoa powder, light brown sugar, and a pinch of fine sea salt.
- Heat Over Low-Medium Heat (The Gentle Heating): Place the saucepan over low-medium heat, ensuring the heat is gentle to prevent scorching.
- Whisk Occasionally (The Whisking Wisdom): Whisk the mixture occasionally, especially as the chocolate begins to melt, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to ensure even melting.
- Continue Whisking (The Continuous Combination): Continue whisking until the mixture is warm and steamy, but not boiling, and the chocolate chips are completely melted and the ingredients are fully combined, creating a homogenous mixture. This should take approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from Heat (The Heat Halt): Take the saucepan off the burner, removing it from the heat source.
- Add Vanilla (The Vanilla Venture): Add the pure vanilla extract and stir well to incorporate it evenly throughout the hot chocolate.
- Serve Warm (The Serving Sensation): Serve the homemade hot chocolate warm with your favorite toppings, such as whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
- Heat gently, don’t boil.
- Whisk to prevent sticking.
- Use good quality chocolate.