Hot Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most popular food items across the world. For many centuries, chocolate has been associated with a gourmet experience. Chocolate is also closely associated with celebrating any occasion. There is a huge industry dedicated to the production and research of chocolate. Furthermore, recent evidence has suggested that moderate amounts of chocolate may actually be good for health.

Hot chocolate is a popular beverage option that has been derived from chocolate. To put it simply, it is a serving of chocolate in a hot, milky drink. However, there is much more to hot chocolate than this simple definition. Hot chocolate is sold by nearly all the various coffee shop chains across the world. This type of hot chocolate is considered to be the most basic form of the drink and is extremely easy to store and prepare. In most cases, homemade hot chocolate is likely to be both richer and tastier. The question then is how must one make hot chocolate.

How To Make Hot Chocolate At Home?

The simplest method of making hot chocolate is to use a hot chocolate mix. These mixes are available at any department store and simply need to be mixed with either hot milk or hot water. A hot chocolate mix will produce a drink that is similar to that which an individual may be able to consume in one of the coffee shop chains. Instead, it may end up being better for the individual to prepare a gourmet hot chocolate recipe to really enjoy the taste of this drink.

A good hot chocolate recipe for homemade hot chocolate involves the use of a bar of chocolate. One can select the best quality chocolate available as this will produce the best quality homemade hot chocolate. It is important that this chocolate be bittersweet. Dark chocolate is often preferred by people who love the strong taste of cocoa. Apart from this bar of chocolate, one needs milk, sugar and vanilla extract. The ratio of milk to sugar should be 8:1 if one is using bitter chocolate. Sweet chocolate, especially milk chocolate, will necessitate a change in proportions.

The chocolate should be sliced into thin shavings and placed in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, one needs to heat the milk until it is boiling. Sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence must be added to the milk as it is simmering. This should be mixed thoroughly. Once the mixing is complete, all that’s needed is to add the milk to the chocolate. This should be done in installments. A small amount of milk should be added to the chocolate and mixed. This can be repeated until all the milk is added. One may keep the remaining milk on simmer so that it remains hot while the process of mixing takes place. This will ensure that the chocolate melts properly.

When making this type of hot chocolate recipe, it is useful to keep a little extra chocolate on the side. In case the proportions go wrong, one can add a little chocolate to make the drink richer. The same can be done with the milk. A small cup of milk can be kept on the side to add in case the mix is too rich.

As one can see, homemade hot chocolate has an extremely easy preparation method. One only needs to have the right quality of chocolate in order to make the best homemade hot chocolate. Most people will agree that using this type of hot chocolate recipe results in a much tastier drink than what one would get from a regular hot chocolate mix.