Last Updated on April 11, 2022 by Ellen Christian
The kids and I love hot chocolate, and I decided to share how to make your own hot chocolate with you, so you’ll have a chance to try it yourself.
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While there are days I buy hot chocolate packets or k-cups, making hot chocolate from scratch is simple enough to do that I should do it more often. I don’t use a recipe when I make hot chocolate because it all depends on what I have on hand to make it.
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How to Make Your Own Hot Chocolate
There’s nothing that warms you up better on a cold day than hot chocolate. Since we’re dealing with a few different food intolerances and dietary preferences, I’ve learned to make hot chocolate a variety of different ways.
My daughter is lactose and gluten intolerant. My husband is allergic to coconut and is diabetic. I try to follow the Paleo diet. When you put all of that together, it can make hot chocolate a challenge. Here are the basics of what you need.
Chocolate
You will need some chocolate for hot chocolate naturally. While you can substitute carob for chocolate, I don’t feel the taste is similar enough to satisfy me. You can use dark chocolate bars, cocoa powder, finely chopped leftover chocolate candy, or whatever type of chocolate you have on hand.
Milk
I really love using whole milk for hot chocolate, but since I’m trying to avoid dairy and my daughter is lactose intolerant, we often use substitutions. I enjoy coconut milk in my hot chocolate, but when I make it for my husband, I use traditional milk. For my daughter, I use soy or almond milk instead. Just make sure you look at the ingredients before you buy it.
Sweetener
Depending on the type of chocolate you use, you may not need any extra sweetener. If you do, you can add honey, maple syrup, sugar, agave or stevia to sweeten your cocoa. The kids enjoy the taste of traditional sugar in their hot cocoa. But, I make mine with stevia when I need to sweeten it.
To Prepare
Break or chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. In a saucepan, add the milk, chocolate, and sweetener. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate melts. Do not allow the hot chocolate to come to a boil. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
You can make your hot chocolate as simple or as decadent as you like. The kids enjoy marshmallows and whipped cream on theirs. Sometimes my daughter adds a peppermint stick to stir hers. I prefer mine as is or with a cinnamon stick in front of the fire.
How do you make your own hot chocolate?
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I was wondering if non-dairy milk would work – I can’t drink cow’s milk as well (though I love pizza too much not to indulge sometimes!). I usually drink cashew or almond milk so I think that would make a good substitute.
Definitely, Liz. We use almond milk regularly so I don’t see why cashew wouldn’t work.
mmmm I think I'm going to make some right now!
Those are fantastic ideas…. we always have left over candy around… thanks for the recipe.. I am going to try it