Decadently Thick Italian Hot Chocolate is rich, thick, and full of real chocolate. It is not for the faint of heart, but is the kind of hot chocolate you make when you want to truly indulge!
Did anyone else grow up watching Willy Wonka, coveting a swim in his chocolate river? Fret over Augustus getting stuck in the pipe and being turned into fudge? Well friends, imagine yourselves gliding through that river of chocolate, taking large gulps along the way, with no fear of being sent to the fudge room. This here is your personal chocolate river. This hot chocolate is the most decadent you could possibly imagine. It is thick, but not overly so, making it glide down and coat your throat with chocolate. Amazingly enough, this is also great cold. It might even be better, if that is possible. Be prepared to feel torn on whether to drink your whole glass while it is hot, or to save some to have cold the next morning. Get ready to swim luxuriously through this river of hot or cold chocolate!
Milk Options for Decadently Thick Italian Hot Chocolate:
If you do not drink milk, you can use your favorite lactose-free or plant-based milk substitute. While you might be tempted to try using heavy cream to make it even thicker, we do not recommend it as it becomes more of a pudding-like consistency.
Tips for Heating Milk:
When it comes to heating milk, gentle and slow is the way to go. If milk gets too much heat, or heats to quickly it can scorch. Yes, you can burn milk and it is pretty gross. Stirring constantly helps prevent scorching because it keeps the liquid flowing so that none of it should be touching the sides of the pan long enough for scorching to occur.
Butter:
You can use either salted or unsalted butter in your hot chocolate.
Chocolate Options:
Feel free to adjust the darkness of the chocolate by the type of chocolate you use. Some prefer all milk chocolate, while others prefer it to be quite dark. Personally, we like to use a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate. You can go lighter, darker, or mix and match for your perfect taste. You can even use white chocolate chips for a fun twist!
Make Ahead Instructions:
If you want to make your hot chocolate ahead of time, simply transfer the finished hot chocolate into a slow cooker set to warm. It will last for approximately 2 hours this way.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Serve cold or hot. If desired, reheat on the stove in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious beverage recipes:
- Easy Mexican Horchata
- Caramelized Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
- Slow Cooker Apple Cider
- Old Fashioned Homemade Eggnog
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I love how you say “keep the leftovers.” LOL what leftovers??
This is the perfect starter recipe to make your own! I omit the sugar, use semi sweet chocolate chips, and add 1 T of cocoa powder. Then top with lots of whipped cream, which adds the perfect touch of sweetness for my tastes.
I made this soup tonight and wow! It was delicious hot and cold! Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe that’s full of BIG salty, spicy and sweet flavors.
I used canned corn, which I noticed had added sugar, so I omitted the sugar called for in the recipe and the balance was just right.
Thanks also to those who noted/recommended blending the soup with an immersion blender. Since I was going to blend it, I just rough-chopped the onion, jalapeño and garlic, which saved time. I kept some texture by reserving about half of the corn; once the base was well-blended, I added the reserved corn, chopped cilantro and cream/milk.
I chose not to salt until the very end, especially with the varying saltiness of chicken stocks/broths. Mine was a low sodium broth and I found the recommended 2 tsp of salt to be perfect for our tastes.
I did not deseed my jalapeño and the final result was a tad spicier than we prefer, so I’ll remove some seeds next time and add them gradually if not spicy enough.
After trying two of your recipes and both being absolutely delicious and well-deserving of their 5-star reviews, I cannot wait to try more!
This is just the best holiday treat. I used all the sugar and cornstarch and contemplated adding espresso powder, but resisted. Thanks a gazillion fir this incredible recipe.
Never made this, but sure would like to try this one. I love hot chocolate.
I have dietary restrictions so I made this with Coconut milk, sugar free chocolate chips and Swerve sweetener. OMGosh! It is so decadent even with the substitutions. Thank you!
This hot chocolate is amazing. My boys loved it. It was slightly too rich for me so I added a little more milk to my cup. Will make again
Really best hot chocolate i’ve tasted ! My husband swears by it and he is usually on diet haha
Definitely not for the “ faint of heart”. Delicious . I used dark chocolate chips, 2 tsp of cornstarch, and poured out a mug full. That is on much. However my husband asked for more. He is a serious hot chocolate drinker. I believe I would cut the sugar back, maybe in half. And more than two teaspoons of cornstarch would be close to hot fudge! Which hey, that’s an idea. Anyway, delicious.