The Secret Ingredient That Will Make Your Hot Chocolate Ultra-Decadent

Winter has officially wrapped itself in its icy embrace, but there are a few ways to make this frosty time of year more bearable. One of my favorite winter treats is a steaming mug of rich, creamy hot chocolate. Most of the time I use regular boxed cocoa mix, but one little trick allows me to make hot chocolate that rivals even the drinking chocolate from most cafes: I make my cocoa with cornstarch.

Cornstarch is a versatile and gentle thickener that can easily be incorporated into your cooking repertoire. You don’t need much; Just one or two teaspoons may be enough to suspend ingredients such as melted chocolate with low-fat milk or beaten eggs in egg drop soup. The only thing you need to be aware of is to control when you activate the thickening properties of the starch.

Cornstarch is a very fine powder that can be purchased in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, but you can’t just throw a spoonful into simmering soup or hot cocoa. Cornstarch gelatinizes at just below boiling (starting at 145°F and reaching full potential at about 203°F), but unless you mix the cornstarch with another ingredient to disperse the powder, clumps may form when added. boiling liquid. Avoid this by either making a “slurry” of cornstarch and cold liquid (cold liquid will not start the gelatinization process) or by mixing dry cornstarch with another powder or granular mixture, such as sugar or a hot chocolate mixture.

I respect a made-from-scratch hot cocoa powder mixture as much as the next person, but personally, I’ve been crushing the store-bought boxed ones this winter. Luckily, you can use this cornstarch trick with any version of hot chocolate to give it a richer, thicker consistency.

How to Make Thicker Hot Chocolate from a Store-Bought Mixture

For a powdered mixture, add the cornstarch directly to the powdered ingredients and whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly for about 30 seconds. There should be no noticeable pieces or lumps of white cornstarch anywhere. Then heat your liquid of choice to boiling or almost boiling. I usually use a mixture of water and almond milk, but with this trick you can use just water and it will still taste decadent. I heat water in an electric kettle until it boils and immediately pour it into the powdered cornstarch mixture. Whisk and the mixture becomes smooth and chocolatey with a silky cafe-worthy consistency. I use one to two teaspoons of cornstarch for every six ounces of liquid, depending on how flavorful I want my drink.

How to Make Thick Hot Chocolate from Scratch

You can also use cornstarch to thicken stovetop hot cocoa or, if you want to comfortably smother yourself, drink chocolates. Instead of mixing the cornstarch into the dry ingredients because you may not have any, make a cornstarch slurry. Pour three-quarters of a cup of milk or water into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium to low.

While it is heating, make a slurry from the remaining quarter cup of liquid. I use one and a half teaspoons per cup of liquid if the recipe calls for chocolate. If the recipe calls for cocoa powder, I’ll use two teaspoons of cornstarch. Add cornstarch directly to a small amount of liquid and stir until dissolved. Once the liquid in the pan begins to boil, add the cornstarch slurry. The milk will thicken slightly within 10–20 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients until completely combined.

The following recipe is for a cup of rich and decadent drinking chocolate. Although any chocolate chips or chunks will work, I use a slightly better quality chocolate than TollHouse for this recipe. Often the melting point of a Ghirardelli chocolate bar or chip is lower, so you won’t have to work as hard to whip the mixture into a thick, silky chocolate concoction. 72% chocolate will create a velvety, bittersweet chocolate drink, but if you think it should be sweeter, just add a spoonful of sugar or honey directly to the mug to adjust.

Easy drinking chocolate recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cold liquid (water, milk, or a mixture of both), divided

• 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

• ⅓ cup (2 ounces) good quality chocolate chips

• A pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional if the chocolate is very bitter)

1. Separate the cold liquid. Transfer three-quarters to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and one-quarter of the liquid to a small bowl with the cornstarch. While the pan is heating, stir the cornstarch and water until it is completely dissolved.

2. Once the milk starts to bubble strongly around the edges, add the cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly until it thickens, about 10 to 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and add salt and chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit for one minute until the chocolate softens. Beat until smooth. Try drinking chocolate. Add sugar if desired and enjoy immediately.

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