Italian Hot Chocolate

This is for the real chocoholics out there. Seriously. If you’re not a die-hard chocoholic, this recipe is probably too intense for you. It’s that chocolatey! In fact, I like to call this little drink the ristretto of hot chocolate!

I have to admit, I’ve never been to Italy, even though it’s just a 45-minute plane ride away. Not that I never wanted to go, I just never actually have gotten round to doing it. Plus, the fact that I’m a poor student-who-needs-to-spend-all her-money-on-books-on-cultural-memory-theory-because-they’re-not-available-in-any-(ANY!)-library-she-knows-of doesn’t help either…

Anyway, back to Italy…

This is (supposedly!) how the Italians like their hot chocolate: thick, rich and thick. Wait, did I say thick? Because this little drink could be served up as dessert! Can you imagine I even thinned it down a bit? The Italian original uses about ¾ teaspoon of cornstarch for two cups, which will result in an even thicker chocolate drink. However, I like to be able to actually drink any drink that is put in front of me.

Call me particular, but that’s how I roll…

Besides, this stuff can still be eaten with a spoon!

You shouldn’t really… But you could! You could even eat it with a fork if you’d want to!

I mean, just look at how it coats that cookie…

It’s almost like ganache!

So perfect for anyone who has ever been tempted to take a little sip out of that big bowl of ganache made for filling a cake with or dunking cupcakes in.

Which means me…

For those of you who just can’t handle the ristretto version I also came up with a sweeter, softer milk chocolate version. It’s basically the same recipe as the original recipe, but instead of using dark chocolate, you use milk chocolate. It’s a lot more non-chocoholic friendly…

See the difference between the two? The one on the left is (obviously) the milk chocolate version. The one on the right is much darker and a lot more chocolatey…

Anyway, make sure you serve this chocolate in a little mug or cup, because a little goes a long way! Have some delicious cookies for dipping (the Brown Oat Cookies were just perfect with the chocolate) at the ready and lightly whip up some unsweetened cream for those who just can’t handle the chocolate…

At any rate, this will warm you right up on a cold day!

Enjoy!

Italian Hot Chocolate

 

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Prep time

1 min

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

4 mins

 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 120ml (or ½ cup) whipping cream
• 120ml (or ½ cup) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 70g (or 4½ ounces) dark chocolate (70%), chopped
• 120ml (or ½ cup) extra whipping cream (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk and sugar. To a small (tiny!) bowl, add the cornstarch and a splash of the milk mixture. Stir until smooth. Over medium-high heat, heat the milk mixture, whisking to dissolve the sugar, to scalding. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook gently, whisking continuously, until the milk mixture thickens. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted into the milk mixture.
2. Divide over two cups, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the pan. Serve immediately with cookies and lightly whipped, unsweetened cream.

Notes

For a less dramatic chocolate flavor, use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

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