Skip the store bought hot cocoa mix this holiday season and make a comforting mug of homemade hot chocolate with baking cocoa! Add holiday spices and serve it with holiday cookies for a cozy night in. This post was sponsored by Barilla America, Inc.
As soon as the weather starts to cool, there’s nothing I love more than curling up on the couch with a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate and some cookies to watch one of our favorite holiday movies. Learn how to make this super versatile hot chocolate recipe that you can easily customize for everyone in your family.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Comforting and cozy – a hot drink to warm your hands and keep you cozy when the weather is chilly out is just the best feeling. So wrap yourself up in a soft blanket, sip on this delicious hot cocoa and relax!
- Quick and easy – this hot chocolate recipe uses just a handful of ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry and fridge, and takes just 5 minutes to make.
- Rich and delicious – heavy cream adds richness and creaminess to the hot cocoa, and don’t forget to dollop on some whipped cream to make it even more delicious.
Tools you’ll need
You don’t need any special equipment to make homemade hot cocoa. You just need a small saucepan for simmering the milk along with a small spatula or a whisk for stiring.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – You can use either natural or dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe. I prefer making my hot chocolate with dutch cocoa for its richer and deeper chocolate flavor. If you like very dark chocolate hot chocolate, increase the amount of cocoa powder.
- Sugar – You can use granulated sugar here or substitute brown sugar for a little extra depth and molasses flavor. Now if you like your hot chocolate on the sweeter side, you can increase the amount of sugar to your taste. You may also want to increase the amount of sugar if you add more cocoa powder to balance out the bitterness. You can also use honey or maple syrup to sweeten your hot chocolate.
- Spices – I use cinnamon and nutmeg in this recipe to add warmth and coziness. You can use just cinnamon or just nutmeg or any combination of spices you’d like. Use a spice blend like pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice if that’s what you have.
- Heavy cream – I use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream to add richness and creaminess to the hot chocolate. I usually have heavy cream in the fridge because I will also make homemade whipped cream to serve with my hot chocolate. You can substitute light whipping cream or half and half if that’s what you have on hand, but your hot cocoa won’t turn out as rich.
- Milk – Use whole milk whenever possible for a richer flavor. Otherwise 2% would work too. But refrain from using low fat milk. Hot cocoa is supposed to be indulgent.
How to make hot chocolate with cocoa powder
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
First, make a paste by mixing all the dry ingredients with the heavy whipping cream using a small spatula or a spoon. You can use as many or as few spices as you wish to flavor your hot cocoa.
Simmer milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Transfer the cocoa paste to the simmering milk and stir until completely dissolved. You can use a small spatula from the previous step or a whisk.
Tip: If you’re making just 1 really large serving, you could make the hot cocoa paste in a large mug, pour the hot milk straight into the mug, and stir until it dissolves.
Then, divide your homemade hot chocolate into 2 mugs, add a spoonful of homemade whipped cream, and sprinkle some of your favorite spices on top for a finishing touch.
More baker’s tips
- Use high quality cocoa powder – similar to baking with chocolate, the higher quality chocolate or cocoa powder you use, the better tasting your end product will be. So choose the best cocoa powder you can find for both this hot chocolate recipe and all of your baking projects.
- Taste your hot cocoa in the pot – if it is your first time making hot cocoa, taste it when it’s still simmering in the pot to see if you need to adjust anything. Maybe you want it to be a little sweeter or maybe you want it to be a little darker.
- Make it richer – use a higher ratio of heavy cream to milk to make it richer.
Variations
This hot cocoa recipe is an easy base for you to experiment with different add-ins and garnishing to make all kind of wonderful and unique treats to please both kids and adults alike.
- Skip the spices if you want a classic hot cocoa. I don’t think anyone would mind it.
- For a festive Christmas cocoa, skip the spices and add a candy cane as a stirring stick and to infuse peppermint flavor.
- Add a few swirls of caramel on the inside of your mug before pouring in the hot chocolate for the caramel lovers.
- If you are a fan of s’mores, top your mug with a giant toasted marshmallow and serve with graham crackers.
Shameless plug: My Dessert Board Deck has a “Hot Cocoa Board” for you to serve on cold winter’s nights. And lots of other dessert board ideas for holiday entertaining!
FAQs
Hot chocolate is typically made with solid chocolate melted in hot milk whereas hot cocoa is made with a powdered hot cocoa mix or cocoa powder like this hot cocoa recipe. However, the two terms are sometimes use interchangeably.
No, it simply will not taste good.
Yes, you can add chocolate on top of the cocoa powder for additional richness and chocolate flavor. If you have chocolate bars, chocolate chips, any kind of chocolate, you can chop them up really fine and add to the simmering milk and stir until everything dissolves. Depending on whether it’s dark chocolate or milk chocolate, this will change the sweetness of your hot chocolate. So you will need to experiment and taste it to make it perfect to your taste.
More hot drinks
- Baileys Hot Chocolate
- Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Hazelnut Latte
- Homemade Matcha Green Tea Latte
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Join my free newsletter to receive weekly email filled with recipe ideas, inspirations with a sprinkle of personal anecdotes and the occasional exclusive recipes for email subscribers only.
📖 Recipe card
Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (Dutch-processed preferred, 12 g)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (11 g)
- A pinch of cinnamon
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream (28 g)
- 1 ½ cup milk (12 oz, 340 g)
Instructions
- Add cocoa powder, sugar and spices to a small bowl. Add heavy cream and mix with a spoon until a thick paste forms.
- Heat milk in a small pot over medium heat until simmering, add the cocoa paste to the hot milk and stir until it dissolves completely.
- Pour hot cocoa into cups. Garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle with spices.
Notes
- Use cinnamon, nutmeg or a mixture of spices like apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice to flavor the hot cocoa.
- Use whole milk for the best result, but 2% milk can be used though the hot cocoa won’t be as creamy. I don’t recommend low fat milk for this recipe.
- Calories are estimated based on 2 servings.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored content, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.
Yummy!
This is genius and so much more flavour than the premix type