I’ve always been a big fan of hot chocolate. As a kid, I was always happy to enjoy a warm mug of cocoa topped with a swirl of whipped cream. But I really fell in love with hot chocolate on my first trip to Paris in 1998. It was a cold, dreary night and I was walking with Britt from the Eiffel Tower back to our hotel.
We decided to pop into a little café and we ordered hot chocolate. The waiter asked if it was for one or for two. We ordered cocoa for two. We were soon greeted with a ceramic tea pot and sweet little bowl of homemade whipped cream. Inside the tea pot was the creamiest, richest hot chocolate that I had ever tasted in my life. As the waiter poured the steaming beverage into each of our mugs, I knew I was in for a treat. This would be nothing like the hot chocolate of the past. I enjoyed every single sip of chocolate heaven on that chilly evening in France and this experience raised my hot chocolate expectations for the rest of my life.
Once Britt and I had kids, we started making a lot of hot chocolate. One snowy afternoon, I was telling Nate about hot chocolate in Paris. He and I decided to try and recreate it. We first tried melting chocolate directly into milk but it was too grainy. We moved on to creating a ganache and then adding this to milk which totally worked, resulting in a smooth and creamy hot chocolate. Finally, we played around with the balance of dark and milk chocolate until we found the perfect balance.
After many batches and tons of homemade whipped cream, here it is, a homemade hot chocolate that is decent enough to serve in a Parisian Cafe and kids love it too! This recipe makes more of a kid friendly hot chocolate due to the amount of milk chocolate used. If you prefer a darker hot chocolate, simply swap some or all of the milk chocolate out for dark chocolate.
Making the Ganache:
To make this hot chocolate, you are going to start with a high quality ganache. You’ll chop 1 ounce of dark chocolate and 3 ounces of milk chocolate and place the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Over low heat, you will warm 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Just before the cream begins to boil, you will pour it over the chocolate and allow this mixture to melt together. You’ll whisk in the vanilla and salt and your ganache is finished! In terms of chocolate brands, any higher quality chocolate will work. For this recipe I used milk chocolate from Callebaut and dark chocolate from Ghiradelli.
Making Hot Chocolate:
You have two options for making the hot chocolate. You can make the entire batch at once, or you can make a cup or two at a time. If you are making the entire batch at once, you will warm 2 and 1/2 cups of milk in a medium sauce pan. Once the milk is warm, you will whisk in your batch of ganache and serve the hot cocoa. If you are making just a serving or two, you will combine 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of ganache for each serving that you are making. Warm the milk first and then whisk in the ganache.
This truly is a special cup of hot chocolate. It’s perfect on a chilly winter afternoon or as a decadent treat after dinner. We hope that you love this hot chocolate recipe and that you have the chance to enjoy a mug with one of your favorite people. ❤️
xo
Amanda
Homemade Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For the Ganache
- 3 ounces milk chocolate, cut into pieces
- 1 ounce dark chocolate (70%), cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch sea salt
For the Hot Chocolate
- 2 and 1/2 cups milk
For the Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
Instructions
For the Ganache
- Coarsely chop chocolate and place in a small mixing bowl. Over low heat, warm the heavy cream. Just before the cream boils, pour it over the chocolate. Whisk until all of the chocolate is melted. Add vanilla and salt, whisk to combine.
- At this point, you can either proceed with making hot chocolate or store the ganache in the refrigerator until you are ready to make hot chocolate.
For the Hot Chocolate
- In a medium sauce pan, warm the milk until almost boiling. Whisk in the ganache. Mix until well combined. Pour into four mugs. Garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
For the Whipped Cream
- In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar. Whip on medium until the cream begins to thicken. Turn the speed up to medium high and whip until you have reached your desired consistency. Leftover whipped cream can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and can be refreshed by whipping again for a few minutes as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
KITCHEN TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS THAT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
AFFILIATE DISCRETION:
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