Old-Fashioned Hot Chocolate

Submitted by Annacia

"I "lifted" this recipe for Le Chocolat Chaud a l'Ancienne from an old chocolate blog and it's intro reads: For a short period, Starbucks offered a premium hot chocolate beverage called Chantico. It was the best hot chocolate drink that could be bought: it was an intense rich chocolate beverage, coming in a tiny cup and enough to fill you up. Sadly, not enough people bought it and it was discontinued. But I’ve found a good recipe on this site and adapted it a little bit for my tastes, and let me tell you, the result is amazing. If you decide to make this on a cold wintry December night, just don’t try to drink too much — it’s very rich!"

 

• Ready In: 19mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 4 small servings

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1 pinch chili powder or 1 pinch cayenne, for mystery
• 4 tablespoons skim milk
• 4 semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, grated or 9 tablespoons dark cocoa
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• sugar, to taste

• OPTIONS

• 1 -2 teaspoon of a sweet liqueur, adding it with the vanilla (such as dark rum or Grand Marnier) (optional)
• 2 tablespoons ginger syrup (optional)
• unsweetened whipped cream (optional) or lightly sweetened whipped cream, as a garnish (optional)

directions

1. IF USING CHOCOLATE:

2. Grate chocolate (manually or in food processor fitted with steel blades). Add in corn starch, sugar, and salt.

3. IF USING COCOA:

4. Mix solid ingredients, butter, and a little warmed milk to make a smooth paste; add remaining milk.
5. In a one-quart, heavy-bottomed, non-aluminum saucepan, heat milk over medium low heat, stirring often with small whisk, until it is steaming hot. Carefully add chocolate mixture.
6. Continue cooking mixture, stirring almost constantly with whisk and scraping bottom and sides of pot with heat resistant spatula frequently. Mixture will steam for several (15-20) minutes before coming to a boil, and will thicken slightly.
7. When mixture boils, continue cooking and stirring for only 30 to 45 seconds.
8. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla, sugar (as much as you want) and any optional ingredients.

9. TO SERVE:

10. Divide among small 4 cups or mugs, and mix 1 tablespoon of skim milk in each mug to achieve desired consistency; you may need to warm in microwave once skim is added.

Reviews

[sofie-a-toast]

wonderfully rich! I used less butter and unsweetened cocoa powder (with a bit more sugar). Thanks!

 

[KerfuffleUponWincle]

Soooooooo decadent! The best hot chocolate I've ever had ~ like drinking warm pudding, but thinner! I used half & half instead of whole milk, and omitted the butter. I also omitted the sugar and topped mine with a blob of marshmallow cream. Would be great with a splash of Cointreau. Tagged for Fall Rookie Tag, due 09/22.

 

[Studentchef]

This was so goo! I used the cinnamon and the semi sweet chocolate for this, and topped it with whipped cream and some finely grated semi sweet chocolate. I shared with my parents and had to make more!

 

[Sharon123]

I halved the recipe and used a bar of Hershey's dark chocolate. It was quite thick and creamy and I enjoyed it with a little sugar. It was a little too thick for me, but was good as a treat. I used cinnamon, love it! Thanks Annacia!

 

[wicked cook 46]

I would give 5 stars but the sugar amount is missing from the recipe LOL I made half the recipe and used dark cocoa and kept thinking "where's the sugar" It took only maybe 5 minutes or less to thicken and not the 15-20 listed. I took a sip and went OK I am adding sugar and alot more milk. For me adding half skim milk and half chcolate mix of the recipe makes a CREAMY DREAMY chocolate drink that is UNBELIEVABLE. But as is , with the sugar addition and no extra milk would make a super yummy chocolate sauce to pour over a slice of Angel food cake with freah berries. Made for Newest Zaar tag Dec 2008 hanks for posting Annacia