The THICKEST and CREAMIEST Hot Chocolate Recipe EVER! (2024)

FAQs

How do you make hot chocolate thicker? ›

Cornflour/Cornstarch: Mix a small amount with cold milk or water to create a smooth paste. Whisk this into your hot chocolate towards the end of the cooking process until it thickens. Double Cream: Stirring in a splash of double cream can instantly enrich and thicken your drink, giving it a velvety texture.

Want it thicker? Try adding a teaspoon for cornstarch before blending. Make it a Chocolate Milkshake by adding vanilla ice cream!

In mainland Europe (particularly Spain and Italy), hot chocolate is sometimes served very thick due to the use of a thickening agent such as cornstarch.

Italy is another European country that loves its thick hot chocolate. Their version of hot chocolate uses heavy cream and milk like the French. But unlike the French, they go an extra step by adding cornstarch to thicken the mixture even more. The result is a pudding-like consistency that is still pourable.

For instance, when chocolate comes into contact with even the smallest amount of water, it seizes. Similarly, if chocolate is overheated, it will become thick and lumpy.

Heat the cream until simmering, then turn off the heat and pour into the chocolate. If you heat it until boiling, the cream will be too hot and it can burn the chocolate or cause it to separate. Let it rest for a while before mixing chocolate and cream together until it's mixed well.

If the hot chocolate doesn't thicken, add a slurry of cornstarch and milk (dissolve ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch in a tablespoon of cold milk) to the hot chocolate and continue stirring over medium high heat until slightly thickened.

You may think something this decadent is made with heavy cream, but it's not! With real chocolate, cocoa powder, 2 percent milk, and cornstarch used to thicken it, this Cioccolato Caldo is much richer, and enjoyed in smaller quantities than American-style hot cocoa.

Ingredients of Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate and dark chocolate both use cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and sugar. But, is there milk in chocolate? Yes, milk chocolate uses milk powder to give it a creamier taste, texture, and lighter color.

We'd be remiss not to include Swiss Miss in our taste test because when it comes to hot chocolate mix, it's by far the most well-loved. Swiss Miss makes a variety of flavors of powdered hot chocolate mix from seasonal favorites like pumpkin spice to mix made with unicorn-shaped marshmallows.

How much cornstarch to thicken hot chocolate? ›

I use a teaspoon and a half for one cup of liquid if the recipe has chocolate in it. If the recipe uses cocoa powder, I'll use two teaspoons of cornstarch. Add the cornstarch directly to the small amount of liquid and stir it until dissolved. Once the pot of liquid begins to boil, stir in the cornstarch slurry.

Chiles, nuts, and spices can also be worked into the mix, resulting in a complex, intense flavor. Besides its added ingredients, Mexican chocolate also has a more rustic texture than many other styles of chocolate.

Mexican hot chocolate contains spices like cinnamon and chili and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a very rich but less sweet flavor. Whereas traditional American hot chocolate is usually made with a combination of cocoa powder and/or chocolate and tends to be more on the sweet side.

If the hot chocolate doesn't thicken, add a slurry of cornstarch and milk (dissolve ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch in a tablespoon of cold milk) to the hot chocolate and continue stirring over medium high heat until slightly thickened.

Chocolate and water don't go together. Even a small splash of water in your melting chocolate will cause it to seize, becoming stiff and grainy instead of smooth and silky.