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.
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! If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious beverage recipes:
Easy Mexican HorchataCaramelized Cinnamon Hot ChocolateSlow Cooker Apple CiderOld 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. Δ Δ
