As the weather gets colder and we start to loathe the prospect of getting out of our beds in the morning, hot chocolate comes in to warm our exhausted and bundled up spirits. Ahead are a few different hot chocolate recipes to try out as the semester continues and temperatures drop lower than our motivation.
1. Chocolate Abuelita (México):
I admit I’m partial to Chocolate Abuelita because I grew up with this frothy chocolate drink on cold days spent out in the snow. If you’re a fan of cinnamon, this is definitely the hot chocolate to try as the months get colder and you find yourself in need of a kick.
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ tablet Nestlé’s Chocolate ABUELITAä
- 2 cups milk
DIRECTIONS:
- Pour the milk into a pot on a stove on low heat
- Add in the chocolate tablet
- Stir the pot continuously until the tablet completely dissolves- the more you stir, the frothier the drink, which is obviously better (I’d recommend using a whisk here)
- Once the tablet is completely dissolved, pour the drink quickly into mugs to enjoy while hot!
- Eat with Gamesa Galletas Maria if you want (you should)
2. Churros con Chocolate (Spain):
For those who enjoy dipping snacks into their hot chocolates, churros con chocolate (churros with hot chocolate) is the best cure for cold weather blues. This treat is especially popular in Spain’s capital, Madrid. The country’s hot chocolate tends to be thicker and less sweet than its American counterpart, but don’t fret. The churros more than make up for the lack of sugar in the drink.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups powdered chocolate
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups flour
- salt
- sugar
- olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Boil water with a little bit of salt (a pinch or so)
- Once the water is boiling, add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture can be removed from the pot without leaving much of a mess (so it shouldn’t be too sticky!)
- Remove pot from stove and let mixture cool until it’s a little warm, then put the mixture in something that can pipe (I’d use a Ziploc bag with a hole cut in a corner, google it if you’re unsure!)
- Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan
- Pipe whatever shapes you want for your churros onto the frying pan (careful with the hot oil)
- Remove the churros when they’re golden and crispy, then blot them with a paper towel so they’re not too greasy
- Now for the hot chocolate! Heat up the milk (you can use the same pot to have less to wash), add the powdered chocolate, and stir well! You can add more or less milk depending on how thick you want the mixture to be
- Serve the hot chocolate in a porcelain mug à la Spaniard or in an old coffee mug à la college student and place the churros on a plate for your dipping pleasure
3. Le Chocolat Chaud (France):
This hot chocolate has an amazing taste, but isn’t too rich that you end up feeling a bit sick after drinking. The recipe recommends the best quality chocolate you can find, but for the average college student, I recommend staying within your budget and getting Hershey’s rather than splurging (unless you want to treat yourself, then you do you!).
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 oz. bitter-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- optional: 2 tablespoons brown sugar
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat up the milk in a medium sauce pan
- Once the milk is warmed up, add the chocolate and stir until melted and steaming (if you want thicker hot chocolate, then bring the milk to a low boil and whisk constantly) Warning! Keep an eye on the saucepan since the milk will boil over a little at the beginning
- Add brown sugar if desired
- Serve in demitasses to feel French if you want
4. Cioccolata Calda (Italy):
Like the other hot chocolate recipes on the list, this drink is pretty thick. In fact, if you leave it to cool long enough on the counter, it takes on an almost pudding like consistency! To avoid this, make sure to drink straight away or turn off the heat, add warm milk, and stir quickly.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup milk
- little less than 1/3 cup bittersweet cocoa powder
- 3 ½ tbsp. sugar
- 2 ½ tbsp. cornstarch
DIRECTIONS:
- In a pot, add the cornstarch and cocoa powder and mix
- Add sugar and mix again
- Add the milk little by little while whisking until the ingredients are well mixed
- Bring the mixture to a low boil while whisking constantly for about five minutes (make sure not to have the heat too high or the hot chocolate will burn!)
- Turn off the heat as soon as the mixture starts to thicken and serve
5. Belgian Hot Chocolate (Belgium):
Wittamer is a famous chocolatier in Brussels with hot chocolate that is absolutely to die for (or so I’ve heard…) This drink gets its luxurious taste from good-quality chocolate, so if you find yourself in Belgium, then you’re in luck because of the high-quality chocolate at your disposal. For those of us in the United States, it’s a bit harder to find the perfect chocolate for Wittamer’s hot chocolate recipe, but I’d recommend Ghirardelli or some other European chocolate brand to get as close to the authentic experience as possible. (This recipe makes quite a bit of servings, so you can store it in the fridge and reheat it to enjoy whenever the urge hits.)
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups half-and-half or whole milk
- 1 cup bitter-sweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup milk chocolate, finely chopped
- tiny pinch of salt
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
- Warm up about third of the half-and-half/milk with the chocolate and salt, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted
- Mix in the rest of the half-and-half/milk and keep whisking until the mixture is warm throughout
- Add cinnamon
- Whisk the mixture until the texture is smooth
- Serve very warm and enjoy with some whipped cream if desired!
Now that you have these new hot chocolate recipes to try out when you have to pull an all-nighter, here is a word of advice: chocolate can be quick to burn, so make sure to always keep an eye on the heat to ensure your drink doesn’t burn! Burnt hot chocolate can be pretty heartbreaking when you just want your chocolate fix while working on essays due at midnight. I hope you find comfort in these new recipes when Swiss Miss just doesn’t cut it anymore.