February is a month for love….and chocolate.
Or maybe for loving chocolate (sorry, Nate, I’ll go back to loving you in March).
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone or alone, it’s appropriate to treat yourself to some extra chocolately goodness.
Ever since I went with Nate and his family to The City Bakery, near Union Square, I’ve been dreaming of their rich and thick hot chocolate.
They’re really well known for their amazing hot chocolate. In fact, every day in the month of February they have a different flavor of hot chocolate as part of their Annual Hot Chocolate Festival.
But honestly, you really don’t need anything but their original flavor. It tastes like you’re drinking liquid chocolate. It’s seriously amazing.
Anyway, after drinking it I searched online for thick hot chocolate recipes. It’s not the watery consistency of hot chocolate you make from a packet. It’s so thick that you could eat it with a spoon. Consitency-wise, it’s kind of like in between instant hot chocolate and chocolate pudding.
I found this one recipe from Southern Living and finally got around to making it for Nate (and me). It was totally as awesome as City Bakery’s!…which is good to know since they charge $5 a pop.
This month’s #chocolatelove is brought to you by the following lovely hosts:
Click here to enter your recipe and view the rest of the bloghop ones!
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Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate
Slighlt adapted from Southern Living
serves 4
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups milk, divided
2 (3-oz.) dark chocolate bars (at least 70% cacao), chopped
1/3 cup honey (or more depending on how sweet you like things)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
Cook remaining 3 1/2 cups milk in a large, nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan (about 4 minutes; do not boil). Whisk in chocolate, honey, vanilla extract, and salt until blended and smooth. Whisk in cornstarch mixture.
Bring milk mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.) Serve immediately.
Unusual to put honey in hot chocolate — I’d be afraid it would be viciously sweet since you are using chocolate bars with some sugar in them. Guess I’ll have to try it to know…
It’s not much honey given the amount this makes…and although the chocolate has a bit of sugar, the milk doesnt really (aside from lactose). I actually ended up adding a bit more honey than the recipe called for. It also depends how sweet you like things, but I definitely wouldn’t say this was sweet.
EXCUSE ME!?!??!!?!?!?
haha! was it dripping with sugar Nate?! ;).
Nate gets plenty of love…he can share my heart with chocolate for one month 😉
What a great idea for the chocolate challenge Amy! You’re absolutely right; it’s the season of love and chocolate! (‘course I never need an excuse to incorporate chocolate into recipes ;)). Your hot chocolate looks so rich and silky – almost like soup! (hey, no complaints). Love the splashes of red – fun art deco!
Thanks Kelly! I wish it had photographed better, but it was at night. You should totally make this for your sons for a special treat 🙂
This looks very like some hot chocolate I had in Mallorca a few years ago. It made such a big impression on me I would almost go back there just for the chocolate. I’ve always wondered how it was made and now this recipe might just be the answer, thank you!
Definitely let me know if it turns out like the one you’ve been dreaming of 😉 I had a similar one in Italy when I was little and was wondering how they made it too.
oh I would call it chocolate soup, sounds wonderful!
You could definitely eat it like soup with a spoon! Or you could slurp it from a mug. Either would do 🙂
yummm it looks perfectly thick and delicious
It was! You should try it 🙂
Looks amazing!
I literally groaned with pleasure with every bite, hehe. It was so rich I almost couldn’t finish my serving…but i managed 😉
wow- that does look thick and that is exactly how I like my hot chocolate. Loving your recipe for the bloghop
Yep, none of that watery stuff 😉
Oh, I am so making this because I have all the ingredients on hand. I saw that amazing list of City Bakery’s hot chocolate earlier in the week and swooned. Thanks for the recipe.
Please do! Let me know how you like it 🙂
LOOKS AMAZING! I have never heard of a thick hot chocolate until I read your blog! I want to try some! YUM!
It’s so good…def try it 🙂
Never heard of this before!! Looks like a chocolate soup. We just got a lot of snow over here so could really use a bowl of this to warm me up! Looks lovely!
I wish we had snow here! Thanks 🙂
That hot chocolate looks to-die-for! I’ll have to check out City Bakery the next time I’m in New York.
Yes, check it out! Their food is amazing too…
Oooh perfect for these winter months!Looks absolutely delicious.This City Bakery sounds really good!Need to chk it out sometime 🙂
Def check out City Bakery…so good!
wow…this really looks thick and rich!! That cornstarch definitely puts this over the top for a cup of hot chocolate!!
The cornstarch is such a good way of making this thick and delicious without adding tons more calories that extra chocolate would.
love those hearts ..:) and i love me a creamy hot chocolate .. real creamy.. yours looks perfect!
Hehe, I had fun putting the hearts on 🙂
Yum! Easy peasy and absolutely divine!
Yup, super easy!
Hot chocolate is always welcomed in our house and I’m sure your recipe is delicious.
Thanks, Karen!
Oh, yum. I love that you can eat it with a spoon. Brilliant to thicken it with cornstarch!
I’m in #ChocolateLove 🙂
Hehe, I know, right? Thanks 🙂
This is my favorite kind of hot chocolate…how anyone could go back to the ordinary thin version is beyond me. Yours looks fantastic!!!
It’s def my favorite kind too! I may have to try to figure out a way to make an equally delicious lower-cal version….def can’t eliminate the chocolate tho 🙂
Wow, wow, wow! So thick and rich! It looks amazing.
🙂 Try it!!
Oh my! This is what I need now! Looks really delicious!!
hehe, go make some! I bet you have all the ingredients on hand 😉
ohmygosh this beats the pants off the powdered stuff!
Hehe 🙂 Oh yeah, can’t go back to powder after this…
I did not know about bloghop. I think I will try it. And you can never have enough hot cocoa recipes. Thanks!
def join!
Wooooah that’s some serious hot chocolate! Such a rich color, too!
Haha, I know! Just the right amount of chocolate
This is definitely sipping chocolate, and you need a spoon, for sure. Rich and decadent! Sending #chocolate love your way!
yay #chocolateLove!
wow amy, that hot chocolate looks so thick and delicious!!! i would love a cup right now. i can totally veganize this! sending some #chocolatelove to you!
Do it! 🙂
Wow, that looks dreamy! Looks perfect to get lost in during a chilly winter day when my kiddos are napping! Need to pickup some supplies :)Dropping by to share some #chocolatelove! Glad to be co-hosting with you!
Cindy
(Vegetarian Mamma)
It’s a perfect way to refuel and relax while the kids are napping 😉 Def try it!
I love making my own hot chocolate but your recipe is unique with using honey and cornstarch to thicken, gotta try this one! Stopping by via #chocolatelove BH!
Hi, thanks for stopping by!
This would be perfect for a cold New England night!
🙂
Omg, wow does that look good!! Thick, rich, and delicious! I don’t get into the city often, so I’ll have to make this so I’m not missing out!
Hehe… If you make it yourself I promise you don’t need to bother going to City Bakery 😉
This reminds me of the luscious, rich, thick hot chocolate (or pudding, as I liked to call it) I would drink when I lived in Bologna. Great addition to #chocolatelove!
Yes! It’s totally like the kind they have in Italy…I had it there too 🙂
how i love chocolate drink! Philippines has a version of this called Tsokolate which is my personal favorite 🙂 it’s also thick and i like mine with an added peanut butter 🙂
lovely pictures you have here! i like the one with hearts in it 😀
oooh, peanut butter would take this over the top!
my kids would flip over something like this…thanks for sharing =)
#chocolatelove
Thanks! Let me know if you make it for them 🙂
[…] are EXTREMELY rich…only for true chocolate lovers. I thought the hot chocolate from the other day was rich, but these were even too much for me. Luckily, Nate was a […]