Belgian Hot Chocolate

This was a great hot chocolate recipe for a snow day.  We've only had one snow day this year, and it happened on December 2.  Nobody had to go to work/school that day, and most of the fam (and the dog) enjoyed playing in the snow all day.  I took the opportunity to try this hot chocolate recipe I had bookmarked from David Lebovitz.  It was a popular choice after playing in the snow.  Happy Holidays everyone!

(Note: I used Ritter Sport bars for both kinds of chocolate.)

Belgian Hot Chocolate
adapted from David Lebovitz

1 quart (1 liter) whole milk
8 ounces (230g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces (115g) milk chocolate, chopped
large pinch of salt (start with less)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

whipped cream, optional, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, warm about one-third of the milk, with the chopped dark and milk chocolates, stirring until the chocolate is melted.

2. Whisk in the remaining half-and-half or milk as well as the salt and cinnamon, heating until the mixture is warmed through.

3. Use a hand-held blender, or a whisk, to mix the hot chocolate until it’s completely smooth. (Do not use a regular blender as blending hot liquid may make the lid blow off.)  The chocolate is ready to serve now, or you can let it rest a bit to thicken up.  We drank it right away and it was perfect.  Serve with whipped cream, optional.

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Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate

I already have a recipe for this, here, but that recipe is kind of awkward where you have to cook and puree a tiny bit of pumpkin (what I had on hand at the time.)  I recently found this recipe, using canned pumpkin puree and it's so easy!  I actually had roasted and pureed a whole sugar pumpkin a few days before, so I used the puree from that, but I'd love to try this with canned puree.  It would make it even easier.

Note: I used Penzey's "Pie Spice" for this and it was perfect. I had an unopened McCormick pumpkin pie spice bottle, but when I opened it, it didn't smell like anything.  The Penzey's Pie Spice was perfect in this.

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate
adapted from Passion for Savings

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (can use homemade)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I used Penzey's "Pie Spice")

½ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 12 oz. bag real white chocolate chips (some bags are 10oz- this would probably be fine)
3 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half (or 1 cup half and half, one extra cup milk)
Whipped Cream for Garnish

1.  In a regular size saucepan, combine the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla, milk and half and half.  Heat over medium heat, whisking well, until everything is mixed and quite warm.

2.  Add in white chocolate chips and stir well until melted.  Taste to make sure it is hot to your liking.  Serve warm and top with whipped cream.  Top with an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon, if desired.

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Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

Merry Christmas! We really enjoyed this super easy hot chocolate.  It was so easy to put together and I had everything on hand.  I've made a few white hot chocolate recipes in the crock pot before but never a "regular" one. This was nice, thick and rich.  It was a little too sweet, so I think I'd cut the sugar next time.  Maybe in half.  But one could always use half the sugar, then taste an hour before serving, and add more if needed.  We had leftovers and it was good the next day (just refrigerate and heat up later).

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
adapted from Delish

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (just use a regular-sized bag- can use milk choc. but don't add sugar)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar (try cutting in half, then tasting after cooking for a while)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups milk (I used 2%)

1.  Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir to combine.  Cook until everything is melted, stirring or whisking occasionally, 2 hours on LOW.

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Pistachio Hot Chocolate

There's a wonderful product here called Pistachio Paste.  It's like Nutella, but made with pistachios (and no cocoa, obviously). It's sweet, smooth, and has a wonderful pistachio flavor.  I thought it'd be a good idea to incorporate it into some white hot chocolate.  I used this recipe for Italian Hot Chocolate as a base.

Pistachio Hot Chocolate
adapted from here
Two servings

4 oz. real white chocolate, shaved or chopped fine
1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3-4 Tablespoons pistachio paste
whipped cream, optional

chopped pistachios, optional

1. Place shaved chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and add 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon to stir chocolate as it begins to melt. Slowly add remaining milk and continuing stirring until completely smooth.

2. Add in cornstarch, sea salt, and pistachio paste, and stir until everything is dissolved and combined. Use a whisk to keep it smooth. As it heats up, it will start to thicken. It needs to thicken enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. You can bring to a low simmer if needed.  It's supposed to be thick and smooth.

3. Pour into 2 mugs (top with whipped cream and pistachios if desired) and serve immediately.

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Slow Cooker White Hot Chocolate

We had another Narnia party recently- where we watch the movie and eat Turkish delight, hot chocolate, Chex Muddy Buddies (the powdered sugar looks like snow!) and other fun things.  I wanted to make white hot chocolate and I wanted an easy make-ahead recipe.  This was perfect.  Throw it in the crockpot a few hours ahead of time, and then serve with whipped cream.  Make sure and use real white chocolate or real white chocolate chips for this- they should contain cocoa butter and not hydrogenated oils.  The cocoa butter will separate and go to the top, (looking yellow-ish) but just whisk before serving.

Slow Cooker White Hot Chocolate

adapted from Wishesndishes

2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package real white chocolate chips, or 12 oz chopped white chocolate
whipped cream, for garnish

1.  Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and white chocolate chips in a 5 quart slow cooker/crock pot (a little smaller or a little larger could also work).

2.  Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are completely melted. Stir again before serving. Keep on warm setting if you're serving at a party and want to keep it warm. Stir occasionally, because the cocoa butter from the white chocolate will rise to the top. Garnish with whipped cream as desired.  Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate

This was fun and easy to make, and it was very tasty.  With crushed candy canes and white chocolate, it's pretty sweet, but it's ok. The kids LOVED this and want me to make it again soon.  I was actually going to make it again to get better pics (it was getting dark, and my whipped cream was going flat), but I didn't have time, and it's getting really close to Christmas.  So I'm just posting this now.  :)

Slow Cooker Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate
adapted from Real Housemoms

1/2 gallon whole (or 2% or 1%) milk (8 cups)
8 oz chopped white chocolate or real white chocolate chips (contain cocoa butter)
1/2 cup crushed candy canes or starlight candies
1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt
whipped cream for serving
more crushed candy canes for garnish

1.  Add the milk, broken up white chocolate or white chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, vanilla and pinch of salt to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. (I actually used my smaller slow cooker and it was fine- just almost full.)

2.  Cover, and cook on HIGH for 1.5 hours (stirring every 15 minutes).  Serve topped with whipped cream and topped with crushed candy canes for garnish.

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Joy the Baker's Hot Chocolate

Back on November 9, the day after the election, I was sad, and my son was home from school that day.  It was just us two, and I was flipping through my Joy the Baker cookbook, and came across this recipe.  I thought it was perfect; a comforting hot chocolate, easy enough to make, and great for two. My son and I enjoyed this together and it made me feel a little better.  I always have the ingredients on hand (milk, semisweet & white chocolate), and I love hot chocolate.

Joy the Baker's Hot Chocolate
adapted from Joy the Baker (also on pg. 147 of her first cookbook)
Serves 2 (the one on her website is a tiny bit different)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini)
2 heaping Tablespoons white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate)
2 cups milk (any fat content)
pinch of salt

1.  In a double boiler (or a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water), place both chocolates and heat over simmering water until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly.

2.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk until almost boiling.  Whisk the melted chocolate and salt into the milk and whisk until smooth and incorporated.  Pour into 2 mugs and top with marshmallows or whipped cream.  Serve immediately.

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Italian-Style Hot Chocolate

I love getting hot chocolate here at a pastry shop or cafe.  It's super thick, like melted chocolate, and tastes amazing.  Some cafes use a mix, so I love finding places that make it from scratch.  One can buy the mix here, and I always have that on hand so we can whip it up at home, and it's pretty good, but I wanted to try to make some "real" stuff.  (You always use milk to make Italian hot chocolate mix, never water, like mixes in the US.  Preferably whole milk!)  (Btw- it's been cool and rainy here lately so this hot chocolate hit the spot yesterday, even though it's June!)

This is made with good-quality dark chocolate (I used Ritter Sport, which is German... lol!), milk, sugar, and cornstarch.  The recipe called for cinnamon, but I've never tasted that in local hot chocolate, so I left it out.  There's not much sugar, but it was still a little too sweet, so I'd reduce it next time and play around with the amounts.

Italian-Style Hot Chocolate

adapted from 12 Tomatoes

Serves 2; easily cut in half to serve 1

4 oz. dark chocolate, shaved (I used 50% cacao Rittersport)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar (try a little less at first)
3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
whipped cream, optional

1.  Place shaved chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and add 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract.  Use a wooden spoon to stir chocolate as it begins to melt.  Slowly add remaining milk and continuing stirring until completely smooth.

2.  Add in sugar, cornstarch, and sea salt, and stir until everything is dissolved and combined.  Use a whisk to keep it smooth.  As it heats up, it will start to thicken.  It needs to thicken enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.  You can bring to a low simmer if needed- mine thickened without simmering. It's supposed to be thick and smooth.  

3.  Pour into 2 mugs (top with whipped cream if desired) and serve immediately.

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Caramelized White Chocolate Hot Chocolate

This recipe is interesting- you bake white chocolate in the oven until it caramelizes.  It turns dark brown and then is stirred into warm milk.  I think this could have used more milk- it was so sweet. But I still enjoyed it.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Caramelized White Chocolate Hot Chocolate

adapted from the Kitchn

makes 3, 1-cup servings or 4 servings with less

6 ounces white chocolate (about)
3 cups milk
Vanilla extract, a few drops
Salt, to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 300°F and put the white chocolate in a glass or ceramic baking dish. No need to chop. Toss it in the oven and roast, stirring every 10 minutes or so. The white chocolate will be lumpy and crumbly, but that’s okay. Keep going until it takes on a peanut butter-like color, about 20-30 minutes total.

2.  Meanwhile, bring the milk to a simmer in a small pot.  When the white chocolate comes out of the oven, scrape it into the hot milk-mixture and whisk until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract.  Ladle into mugs and enjoy.

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Nutella Hot Chocolate

I've had this easy recipe saved for a while and finally tried it a few days ago.  It was easy and delicious, even though I don't love Nutella.  (I do like it just fine; I don't just worship it like some people.  I usually don't eat it unless it's in a dessert.)  I made this on the stove but you could probably use the microwave just as easily.  I forgot the cinnamon stick, oops.

Nutella Hot Chocolate
adapted from The Kitchn
makes one serving- easily doubled

1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons Nutella
1 cinnamon stick
Whipped cream or marshmallows, to top

1.  In a pot over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Add the Nutella, stirring until it has melted and become incorporated. Add the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer.  (Or forget the cinnamon stick, as I literally did.)  Ladle the hot milk mixture into a mug and serve with fresh whipped cream or marshmallows.

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December in Vicenza

Last weekend, downtown Vicenza had a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the main square.  We went down to see the lights and have some hot chocolate.  We went to a highly rated pasticceria for hot chocolate and were not disappointed.  It was so good!  This is typical Italian-style, super thick, homemade hot chocolate. We sat near the square, outside of the small bakery and watched the lights, and people go by.  Then we had a pleasant walk through downtown Vicenza (we missed the actual lighting by about 30 minutes).  Here are some pics of the night.

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