Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate, hot cocoa or drinking chocolate is a beverage, usually served hot, typically consisting of chocolate or cocoa powder, milk, and sugar.

Hot chocolate may sometimes be served with whipped cream on top. Hot chocolate was invented by the Swiss, who first thought to shave a bar and mix it with boiled milk. Hot chocolate has changed a lot over the years.

If you thought there was only one way to make hot chocolate, then a sublime world awaits. Hot chocolate is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter.

Hot chocolate can be made with dark, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar.

Thus the major difference between the two is the cocoa butter, which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than chocolate, while still preserving all the intrinsic health-giving properties of chocolate.

In the UK, "hot chocolate" is a sweet chocolate drink made with hot milk and powder containing chocolate, sugar, and powdered milk. While "cocoa" usually refers to a similar drink made with just hot milk and cocoa powder, then sweetened to taste with sugar.  "Hot chocolate" is a retronym and the drink was originally simply called "chocolate". 

In central and southern Mexico, people commonly drink chocolate twice a day year-round. Having a layer of foam on hot chocolate is as important today in Mexico as it was in ancient times.

A modern American concept is the addition of marshmallows to hot chocolate. Some packaged hot cocoa mixes come with small dry marshmallows.

Today hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world. While nomenclature varies, drinks described as hot cocoa generally do not contain cocoa butter, while drinks described as hot chocolate may contain cocoa butter.

The original hot cocoa recipe was a mixture of ground cocoa beans, water, wine, and peppers. Drinking chocolate was originally a cold mixture of ground cocoa beans and water with the addition of spices such as cayenne pepper, vanilla and pimento.

French hot chocolate is not the cocoa powder mixed into warm milk that American mothers dole out to children. In Australia hot chocolate drinks are generally very artificial and full of artificial sweeteners, definitely not my cup of hot cocoa.

Recipe For Hot Chocolate

1. Lightly whip the cream
2. Heat the milk in a large saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, rum or cognac, and all but a tablespoon of the chocolate.
3. Ladle into 4 cups and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of the remaining chocolate.

Variation:

Mexican Hot Chocolate:

For this version, omit the cream and stir in a pinch of ground cloves and half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Hot chocolate is also lovely around the winter holidays. Hot chocolate really has everything you need on a cold night doesn’t it? Hot chocolate milk mixes well with many flavors, and is especially popular during the winter season.

Hot chocolate is easy to make and fun to experiment with. Hot chocolate milk based drinks are simple to make.  Hot Chocolate is the #1 favorite kid drink of all the hot drink recipes, sure to warm you in winter.

Hot chocolate milk is not just for kids anymore. By adding alcohol ( such as brandy or a variety of liqueurs) transforms simple hot chocolate to a delicacy.

For a special after dinner treat add a small square of chocolate to a heated cup, top with hot fresh coffee, add a teaspoon of brandy and float a thin layer of cream over the top of the cup. Serve without stirring.

© Copyright: Magriet Du Plessis

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