Relaxing and Soothing Hot Chocolate to Prepare At Home! These are Finger-Licking and The Easiest Recipes to Prepare (2021).

A hot cup of Chocolate will keep you warm during a chilly winter day and for a simple treat like this, Hot Chocolate can be quite tricky to whip up! From overly scalded milk to clumpy cocoa powder, homemade hot chocolate can turn out to be devastating if you don’t know the right way of making it. Whether you make it in cocoa powder or with chopped chocolate. Hot Chocolate can be made differently with varieties of milk, chocolate or garnishes. With some additional tweaks and upgrades, you can make the best hot chocolate ever!

There are some basic steps to follow, beginning with what milk you use. The higher the fat content in the milk of your choice, the creamier the hot chocolate will taste. For hot-milk drinks, 140ºF is the best temperature, while 160 ºF is ideal for extra hot. For a creamier foam, it is essential that you heat and froth the milk before adding any other ingredient for a more consistent and delicious drink. Once you have the milk at the desired temperature and texture, pour a little over the mix-ins and whisk heartily till you arrive at a combined consistency and top it up with the remaining milk.

You can steam the milk before pouring it over the chocolate if you have a home espresso machine for a smooth velvety texture. A handheld frother can get the milk foam you desire. The best way to get your ingredients into warm milk is by whisking, with a whisk that’s sized appropriately for proper and even chocolate melts without leading to clumps.

Most people use the terms ‘hot chocolate’ and ‘hot cocoa’ interchangeably but they are quite different from each other. While, hot cocoa comes from powder, hot chocolate is actually drinking chocolate that’s made out of chopped chocolate pieces or pellets that are melted slowly and then blended with milk, cream/water. Real hot chocolate is much denser and richer as opposed to the powder and even though both hot cocoa and hot chocolate include chocolate as a primary ingredient, the process for making a hot chocolate drink and hot cocoa is absolutely different from the other. For a cup of hot cocoa, you need hot water/steamed milk and cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix, while for drinking chocolate, you can make it using a variety of different chocolate ingredients.

Both hot chocolate and hot cocoa are typically drunk individually with an assortment of indulgent toppings like marshmallows or whipped cream. While hot cocoa is usually seen as a comforting drink for a cozy night in, it works wonderfully well with a variety of foods, while hot chocolate is best paired with salty, sweet or tangy foods. Before you match your drink and food, be sure that they complement each other and not really match.

For instance, chocolate works really well with lightly salted food and ones that are gently spiced or tangy fruits like tart apples or oranges. Salty food tends to act as a foil to hot chocolate’s intense sweetness. Items like air-popped salted popcorn or add ons like chilli powder, cayenne, cinnamon and cumin go well with chocolate. You can also try spiced roasted almonds, crunchy pretzels, roasted chickpeas, toasted pumpkin seeds with sweet chocolate.