What is French hot chocolate?

If you’re from the states, French hot chocolate probably isn’t what you’re used to. Most hot chocolate in the U.S. is made with hot water and prepackaged hot chocolate powder. I’m not dissing American hot chocolate because I have fond memories of it from my childhood. For years, my mom made my brother and I hot chocolate before school to drink while watching an episode of Fairy Oddparents. It was comforting and delicious, but it doesn’t stand up to French hot chocolate in my opinion.

French hot chocolate is a much grander treat. It’s main ingredients are hot milk, good-quality chocolate, and the special ingredient – heavy cream. The combination of real chocolate and heavy cream makes a luxurious, thick and creamy hot chocolate. It’s really so decadent and filling that I treat it more like a dessert. Top it with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings and not only is it dessert, but it’s stunning.

The original recipe makes about 32 oz. or four 8 oz. servings. That serving size may seem small, but I think it’s likely all you’ll need.

How to Reheat French Hot Chocolate

Often times I don’t drink all the hot chocolate I make and I end up putting it in the fridge for later. You’ll probably notice that when you go to grab it again, the top has solidified. This is the cocoa butter. When cocoa butter is heated, it melts. When it cools again, it solidifies and rises to the surface because the cocoa butter is less dense than the rest of the hot chocolate. To reheat, just put the hot chocolate, including the solidified part, back in the saucepan on the stove and bring it back to scalding temperatures. Good as new.

Tips to make the best French hot chocolate:

Splurge on good quality chocolate. The better the chocolate, the better the drink. I do not recommend using baking chips at all.
Don’t bring the hot chocolate to a boil or you risk burning the milk. The goal is just to get all the ingredients cohesively melted together. I think medium or medium-low heat is best.
Use whole milk for a rich, creamy hot chocolate.

Kitchen Essentials

A knife and cutting board
Measuring cups/spoons
A small saucepan
A whisk
A mixing bowl for the whipped cream (optional)
A stand mixer or hand mixer for the whipped cream (optional)
A vegetable peeler for chocolate shavings (optional)

Substitutions

60% semisweet chocolate: if you can’t find a good quality bar of semisweet chocolate, you can use a combination of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. For example, using 4.5 oz. of 50% milk chocolate and 2 oz. of 70% dark chocolate will yield identical results as 6.5 oz. of semisweet chocolate.