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The world’s BEST Hot Chocolate

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I’m not even kidding when I call this the World’s BEST Hot Chocolate Recipe. It is everything hot cocoa should be; Creamy, rich with a great flavor. This homemade hot chocolate is the essence of coming home from a cold day.

This recipe is the worlds best hot chocolate, I enjoy a cup of this every morning in the winter

How I created this Hot Chocolate Recipe

Today it rained, it was MARVELOUS (As a born and raised Oregonian I LOVE the rain)! The leaves have all changed colors and there was a beautiful mist over the mountains.  

I love fall. I don’t like being too hot or too cold, I’m not a huge fan of snow… BUT if it means I get to make this hot chocolate then I’ll take it.

I love chocolate, in pretty much every form.  Bars, cookies, cake, ice cream and liquid!  

When we were living in Japan I missed my favorite foods that they don’t have over there.  That’s how I got into from scratch cooking – learning to make food that I couldn’t get overseas.

So when I was missing hot chocolate I started trying various recipes, mixing and matching until I was happy with the results.  

Now I do not like watery hot chocolate. So I knew it needed to be made with milk. And I already had my Hot Fudge recipe that I loved so I used my understanding about blooming Cocoa to my advantage as I created the final recipe.

Now I make a double batch every week and enjoy a cup on cold mornings. I like to add my Homemade Marshmallows of course – they have this great creamy effect as they melt.

I also tweak this same recipe for my Frozen Hot Chocolate recipe. You can also serve it with fresh whipped cream or my homemade marshmallow fluff or my marshmallow frosting!  What do you like with your hot chocolate?

Just take me to the Hot Cocoa Recipe already!

If you’d rather skip my tips and tricks for homemade hot chocolate, along with links to other winter recipes and get straight to this delicious drink – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

the best hot chocolate recipe you'll ever try, it's great hot, iced or frozen

Tips to Make the Perfect Hot Chocolate

By boiling the cocoa and water at the beginning your actually Blooming the cocoa. This breaks up clumps, thickens the liquid and most important releases flavor particles in the powder and results in a much richer flavor.

This is the reason most chocolate cakes add boiling water to the mixture and why I dissolve my cocoa in boiling water and let it sit for a few mins in my chocolate cake recipe.

Once the cocoa has bloomed and the full flavor has been released now you want to add the rest of your liquid and bring it up to heat. I use whole milk – for me hot chocolate should always be made with milk, not water.

You don’t need to, and shouldn’t, bring it back to a boil. Now you just heat it to the temperature you like to drink your cocoa at. Once it’s up to tempurature add the vanilla.

The vanilla is essential for enhancing the flavor and I can always tell if I accidentally forgot it when I taste it. You don’t want to add it early as the boiling and heating process would actually make most of the vanilla evaporate so it should be the last thing you add before serving.

I refrigerate any left overs – but the chocolate and milk does separate after a while so make sure to shake it up or stir it really good before reserving!

The World’s BEST Hot Chocolate

If you love this homemade hot chocolate as much as I do, I’d love a 5 star review. Be sure to share on social media and tag me if you make it @ashleemariecakes! If you want to stay updated on new recipes sign up for my newsletter and join my Facebook Group!

It does not get much better than hot chocolate, esp topped with fresh whipped cream or homemade marshmallows

If you love Hot Chocolate you’ll love these other winter drink recipes!

  • warm butterbeer with creamy topping
  • homemade eggnog

Warm Pumpkin Pie Drink | Hot Butterbeer | Homemade Eggnog

And these other decadent chocolate treats

  • ultimate rich chocolate cake
  • delicious chocolate cheesecake
  • molten lava cakes

Chocolate Cake | Chocolate Cheesecake | Chocolate Lava Cake

Connect with Ashlee Marie Online!

To watch me make this Hot Chocolate along with 2 other fall drinks play the video in the recipe card (if you’re on desktop, a short teaser video should be auto playing for you). 

You can find all my cooking show style recipe videos on YouTube, or my short recipe videos on Facebook Watch, or my Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.

the best hot chocolate recipe

The worlds BEST Hot Chocolate

How to make hot chocolate – this recipe is the best homemade hot chocolate recipe ever. A thick, rich and easy to make hot cocoa.
4.23 from 159 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 104kcal
Author: Ashlee Marie

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • In a saucepan mix the dry ingredients.
  • Add the water and bring to a boil, keep boiling for one min.
  • Then add the milk.
  • Heat until it’s the temp you like.
  • Take off the heat and add the vanilla, stir and serve

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ashleemariecakes or tag #makesomeawesome and I’ll share your image in my Instagram stories!

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About Ashlee

With the right tips and tricks, I believe YOU can make, bake, or create anything. This is what I love to do - make some awesome, teach you how, and give you that boost of culinary confidence you need to rock your own kitchen! Read more...

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Comments

    4.23 from 159 votes (134 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




    • Ashlee

      I hope you like it as much as we do! I make it a few times a week! I go through a lot more milk this way, but it’s the only time I drink milk, so I’m sure it’s good for me!

    • Ashlee

      I’m so glad you liked it! I have been making it for 7 years now and while I’ve tried other recipes I always come back to this one! LOVE it, and I’m glad you did too!

  12. alisha

    How many “servings” would you say this recipe makes? I’m having a “Favorite Things” party next week and would like to make this for it. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

    Reply

    • Ashlee

      It’s basically between 4-5 C. For me about 5 mugs. I have tripled it with success and I’m sure you can go larger. Just make sure to mix it well before serving as it tends to settle.

  13. Stacey

    Do you usually use whole milk or 2% with his recipe? I’m making at least a quadruple batch for a gender reveal party this weekend! Looks so tasty!

    Reply

  15. Shelley

    Just found this on Pintrest. We had a very cold day of outside Xmas decorating and we needed hot chocolate. This was perfect and I had all ingredients on hand. Thanks for posting. I will be making it often this season!

    Reply

  16. Megan Garcia

    I just made this recipe today for my husband who was asking for hot cocoa on this blustery (60° San Diego) day. It was perfect, and I always have the dry ingredients on hand. I topped it with some homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I’m never buying the packets again. Thank you!

    Reply