Thick Hot Chocolate For One
When it’s freezing outside, cozy up with a mug of Thick Hot Chocolate For One made with real chocolate and not cocoa powder. Also known as Italian Hot Chocolate, this recipe can easily be doubled to serve two people.
Now that Christmas is around the corner, let’s talk about hot chocolate!
I’m not talking about those cocoa mixes made with water. I’m talking about real hot chocolate. Thick Hot Chocolate.
It’s Italian hot chocolate that’s rich, thick, and creamy because it’s made with melting chocolate and not cocoa.
As much as I love hot chocolate, I’m tired of ordering it then getting hot cocoa instead.
The worst offender is a local amusement park where they made it with water.
I understand it’s cheaper, but if you’re not going to offer real hot chocolate, at least use milk. I couldn’t even finish my overpriced flavored water.
Real hot chocolate is rich, thick, and creamy. It’s almost like you’re drinking a liquid chocolate bar or ganache.
It also reminds me of the molten chocolate found in Mini Lava Cakes.
On occasion when it’s late at night I’ll do a hot cocoa mix made with milk, but when I want a special treat you can’t beat this thick hot chocolate recipe.
Making a single serving of hot chocolate at home means you can customize it to your taste. Want it thinner? Add more milk. Want it darker? Use dark chocolate. Want it lighter? Use semisweet chocolate.
Although this is one serving of hot chocolate, it can easily be doubled or even tripled to serve your loved ones.
I wanted to make homemade hot chocolate for one person in case you wanted a special treat for yourself without sharing.
What is the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa?
The difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa is in the name.
Hot chocolate is made with real chocolate which you then melt into milk (sometimes referred to as drinking chocolate).
Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, sugar, and milk (or hot water).
Ingredients For Thick Hot Chocolate
In order to make the best thick hot chocolate, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Whole milk: To make your hot chocolate rich and creamy, you want the fat from whole milk. Do not use skim or low fat.
- Chocolate: You want the best high-quality chocolate you can afford as you’ll taste the difference. Use melting chocolate between 60% and 80% cocoa range. Under 60% and it may be too sweet. Over 80% and it may be too bitter.
This thick hot chocolate recipe is meant to be thick and rich at 1/2 cup milk per serving. If you want it thinner and less rich, use 3/4 cup milk.
Can you substitute heavy cream for milk in hot chocolate?
Using heavy cream in your Italian hot chocolate will actually make it too thick, almost like a pudding.
However if that’s all you have, thin it out with some water until you have your desired drinking consistency.
Can you double hot chocolate for one?
Yes, you can easily double or even triple hot chocolate for one! Your cooking time may be a little bit longer with more ingredients, but the concept is the same.
How To Make Thick Hot Chocolate
To make your thick hot chocolate for one, first heat your milk in a medium saucepan until hot and bubbly but not boiling.
You want your milk warm enough to melt chocolate but not too hot it’ll scald and possibly even curdle.
Next, add your chopped chocolate and stir often until melted then bring to a boil.
Once boiling, cook for about 30 seconds or until thick. If you don’t want it too thick, you can pull it off the heat sooner. If it’s not thick enough, keep cooking until it’s to your liking.
Cool for 5 minutes then decide if it’s your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, whisk in more milk.
Transfer to your mug then top with whipped cream or marshmallows.
How To Serve Hot Chocolate For One
Now the next question – serve your thick hot chocolate with whipped cream or marshmallows?
I love homemade whipped cream on mine! And since this is a hot chocolate for one recipe, I made small batch homemade whipped cream to go with it.
Or get creative with small batch Peanut Butter Whipped Cream or Chocolate Whipped Cream.
If I don’t have any whipped cream on hand, I have no problem plopping a handful of marshmallows on top.
I also pour it over vanilla bean ice cream. Not only does it cool down your chocolate, it helps thin it out as it melts.
More Hot Chocolate Recipes
Italian hot chocolate is great, but sometimes you want more flavor in life. Check out these other recipes for hot chocolate (or hot cocoa):
Thick Hot Chocolate For One
When it’s freezing outside, stay inside and cozy up with a mug of Thick Hot Chocolate For One made with melting chocolate and not cocoa powder.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk plus more if needed (do not substitute skim or low fat)
- 2 ounces high-quality chocolate, chopped (60%-80% cacao range)
- Homemade Whipped Cream, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat milk until hot and bubbly but not boiling.
- Stir in the chocolate until melted, whisking often.
- Bring to a boil then cook until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
- Cool 5 minutes. At this point if it's too thick, you can add an additional 1/4 cup milk. Transfer to a mug then top with whipped cream or marshmallows.
Notes
- You can also garnish your drink with Peanut Butter Whipped Cream or Chocolate Whipped Cream.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate, Raspberry Hot Chocolate, Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate, and Caramel Hot Chocolate.
First published December 18, 2017
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What about those of us who can’t drink milk? I’m lactose intolerant, is milk substitute like almond milk, or soy milk a good sub.
I haven’t personally tried it with non-dairy milk, but you should be able to use almond or even coconut.
Find the lactose-free milk variety in your local supermarket. Cowhead is a brand that comes to mind. I’m lactose-intolerant, too, and this kind of milk works for me. Thing is, hot chocolate won’t have that creamy consistency if the milk you use isn’t whole milk. So, forget plant-based milk for this recipe. Hope this helps!
Great tip on the milk! Definitely something to keep in my mind due to the fat content of the milk used. Canned coconut milk may also work due to the fat, but I haven’t personally tried it yet.
Silk brand soy milk is creamy and works well for a non-dairy sub in hot chocolate. There’s also a brand of oat milk that is creamy, Chobani extra creamy. Oat milk has the most neutral flavor so is good as a sub in recipes.
Thanks for sharing! I bet this will help a lot who are asking the same question.
What yummy, I adore it!
Photos are very beautiful.
Thanks!
YAAAAS-this is totally my kind of hot chocolate!!!! And I totally agree that homemade whipped cream on top is the way to go!
Always!
I followed the recipe and it didn’t make that much
It’s a recipe for one serving, so it’s not going to be a lot. It’s also rich from the chocolate so a small amount does go a long way.
I am not a fan of chocolate. But I love a rich cup of hot chocolate topped with freshly whipped cream. I always whip up more cream than will fit because I am a HUGE fan of heavy cream, whether whipped or not, so I’ll be going back for seconds on the whipped cream. A half cup of milk isn’t enough for me, so I bump it up to six ounces, increasing the amount of chocolate accordingly. I have to try your peanut butter whipped cream, and I’m planning to make a brown sugar cardamom syrup because right now I’m addicted to cardamom — it’s wonderful in sweet as well as savory dishes. It would be fabulous drizzled over whipped cream in my hot chocolate! I love your insistence on full-fat milk and excellent chocolate; you’re my kind of cook!
I think the brown sugar cardamom would go lovely in some hot chocolate with the spice. Maybe even in white hot chocolate as well.
For the high-quality chocolate you use, would Ghirardelli bar be good to use and how many squares would make 2 ounces chopped?
Yes, you can use Ghiradelli. I believe 2 squares = 1 ounce, so you would need 4 but I would double check the packaging as I don’t have it in front of me.
Hi, Carla!
What is the best brand of baking chocolate to use in your Hot Chocolate for One recipe? Will it specifically say “baking chocolate” on it?
Thanks so much for your tasty recipes.
If I’m using the chocolate I have on hand, I use Baker’s Chocolate (labeled as premium baking bar, which is baking chocolate). If I’m wanting to make it a little more special, I’ll use Ghirardelli which should also say premium baking (they have snacking candy bars in the candy aisle, but you want the baking chocolate in the baking aisle). If you really want to treat yourself, Valrhona and Scharffen Berger are some of the high end brands.