Thick Hot Chocolate Thickened with Cornstarch
For a kick, add a knife-tip of chili to the chocolate. The Aztecs called this the "food of the gods," and for good reason—it's a fragrant, velvety drink with an incomparable flavor that warms you up and gives you a boost of energy.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Gather your ingredients. For thick hot chocolate you'll need: milk, dark chocolate, cornstarch, and sugar.
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Step 2:
Pour 400 ml of the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and set it over the heat.
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Step 3:
Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk.
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Step 4:
Break the chocolate into small pieces. I used small Belgian chocolate callets, so I didn't need to break anything up.
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Step 5:
As soon as the milk starts to steam, add the chocolate pieces and the sugar. Bring the milk to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate and sugar fully dissolve.
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Step 6:
Once the milk boils, pour in the cornstarch-milk mixture in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Keep stirring and cook over low heat until it thickens to the consistency you want.
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Step 7:
Pour the hot chocolate into cups, top with marshmallows, and dust with cocoa. Serve right away. Enjoy!
- I had my first real thick, velvety hot chocolate in the Czech Republic, on a trip with a friend back in 2010—my first time abroad, full of impressions and interesting places. But one café in Litomyšl stands out, where my friend ordered thick hot chocolate with chili. She could barely talk me into trying it (the combination made me nervous), and after one sip I was hooked. Now my taste-memory of the Czech Republic isn't beer or dumplings—it's that very hot chocolate with chili in a small, cozy café. This is the base recipe; to taste, you can add rum or brandy, chopped nuts, or a pinch of chili. I topped mine with marshmallows, which you could swap for whipped cream—or add it all together and you won't be able to put it down! And of course, finish with a dusting of cocoa powder and cinnamon.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Whole cow's milk - 68 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.5% fat content - 64 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.2% fat content - 60 kcal/100g
- Milk 1.5% fat content - 47 kcal/100g
- Concentrated milk 7.5% fat content - 140 kcal/100g
- Milk 2.5% fat content - 54 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Cocoa powder - 374 kcal/100g
- Bitter chocolate - 539 kcal/100g
- Corn starch - 329 kcal/100g
- Marshmallow - 328 kcal/100g
