If you don’t have granulated sugar, you can substitute brown sugar, honey, or agave. Keep in mind that since these will add flavor to the hot cocoa, you’ll need to add them according to your taste.
Whisking the hot cocoa will help break up the cocoa powder and can make the cocoa a little frothy. It’s important to watch the heat as you make hot cocoa. You don’t want the milk to boil or it will burn on the bottom of the saucepan.
To make it easier to pour the cocoa, consider using a ladle to spoon the hot cocoa into the mugs.
You can also sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over the hot cocoa or hook a candy cane over the side of the mug.
You can use any type of chocolate bar you like to customize your hot chocolate. For example, try making hot chocolate with white chocolate or milk chocolate. If you’d like to use a bar of unsweetened chocolate, you will need to add granulated sugar according to your taste.
Stir the milk occasionally so it doesn’t cook on the bottom of the pan. If the milk begins to bubble too much, turn the burner down to medium-low.
Whisking the hot chocolate will make it a little foamy. If you prefer completely smooth hot chocolate, use a wooden spoon to stir the liquid. The amount of time it will take to melt the chocolate will depend on how large you chopped the pieces.
For a slight coffee flavor, mix in 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of espresso powder along with the vanilla extract. You can also adjust the sweetness at this point, stirring in more sugar if the hot chocolate is too bitter for you.
If you prefer, scatter mini-marshmallows over the hot chocolate instead of whipped cream.
If you like your hot cocoa sweeter, add the extra 1 tablespoon (12. 5 g) of sugar.
For creamier hot cocoa, use cream or half-and-half instead of milk.
If the milk isn’t hot enough, heat it for another 20 to 30 seconds.
You can add a handful of mini-marshmallows to the mug just before you’re ready to drink the cocoa.
