Brazilian Hot Cocoa is thick, silky and unbelievably creamy! A decadent treat to warm you up and sooth your soul. You’ll want to sip this all winter long!
Love cozy drinks? We also have Mexican Hot Chocolate, Low Carb Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate, Frozen Hot Chocolateand Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix.
The creamiest hot cocoa!
If you haven’t cozied up with a mug of hot cocoa on a cold day, you are not living your best life! And, for me, nothing beats the richness of our Brazilian version.
What makes it Brazilian, you might be asking yourself. I’ll give you one shot!
If you’re familiar with Brazilian cuisine, I bet you got it right. Sweetened condensed milk, of course. Our favorite ingredient for all things sweet!
The condensed milk brings this hot cocoa to a whole new level. Thick, velvety, sweet and oh so luscious!
If you’re a fan of drinking chocolate, you’ll want to give our Chocolate Quente a try. It’s especially delicious by the fire, after a day out in the snow.
What’s the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate?
Both terms are often used interchangeably, so you might think they are the same thing.
And while they’re both delicious, there is a main difference.
Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder and hot chocolate is made with melted hot chocolate. That sometimes means that hot cocoa is lighter in body than hot chocolate, but not in this case!
Brazilian Chocolate Quente is made with cocoa powder but is rich and thick like hot chocolate.
Chocolate Quente Ingredients
The basic ingredients to make this hot cocoa recipe are:
I also like to add a pinch of cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick) and a splash of vanilla extract. And if I’m feeling naughty, a little dose of bourbon or cachaça!
How to make Brazilian Hot Cocoa recipe
Making this recipe is easy and straight-forward. The only important thing to remember is that you must whisk the cornstarch in the milk before you bring your pot to the stove, or it might clump up.
This recipe is also easily halved or doubled, and very customizable!
Combine all the ingredients: Add milk and cornstarch to a saucepan, and whisk until the cornstarch has dissolved. Then, add the sweet condensed milk and cocoa powder, and whisk until combined. The cocoa powder won’t quite blend in, but that’s okay! It will dissolve later.
Cook until thick: Add the sweet condensed milk and bring the pan to the stove, over medium heat. Cook – stirring every now and then – until hot but not boiling. Add vanilla extract, if using, and serve!
If the drink is too thick, you can add more milk to thin it out.
How long will hot cocoa last in the fridge?
This drink will last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
It will get quite thick, almost like pudding or mousse, so when ready to reheat, you should bring it back to the stove and reheat on medium-low heat, adding some more milk as needed!
Serving suggestions
You have your hot cocoa, now what?
Well, you could just… drink it! But why not spice things up a bit?
A splash of booze – for grown-ups only, obviously.
A sprinkle of cinnamon
Chocolate shavings
Toasted coconut
Marshmallows – regular, mini or those big fun ones that are everywhere during the Christmas season.
Crushed peppermint sticks
Candy cane
Caramel or hot fudge sauce.
And as I said earlier, you can customize the recipe by adding fun ingredients, like vanilla extract, chili powder, coconut extract, nutmeg and even coffee!
Yield: 4
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Brazilian Hot Cocoa is thick, silky and unbelievably creamy! A decadent treat to warm you up and sooth your soul. You'll want to sip this all winter long!
Ingredients
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (14 ounce) can sweet condensed milk
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Combine the milk and cornstarch in a saucepan and whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon (if using) and sweet condensed milk, whisking to combine.
Bring to the stove, over medium heat, and cook until the cocoa powder has dissolved and the mixture is hot, creamy and thick. Do not boil! If the hot cocoa is too thick, add milk to bring it to the desired consistency.
Add the vanilla extract, if using.
Pour into mugs and serve, topped with whipped cream!
Notes
Consistency: Brazilian Hot Cocoa is best enjoyed right after you make it. It will get thicker as it cools, so drink up! :)
Leftovers: You can refrigerate the hot cocoa after it cools down. It will get very thick in the fridge, so reheat on the stove, over medium-low heat, and be prepared to add some more milk if needed.
Booze: If you want to spike it, bourbon and cachaça are my favorites!
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However, hot chocolate is usually richer and often prepared with real cocoa powder and melted chocolate while chocolate milk is often just regular milk with added chocolate syrup.
An easy way to add extra flavor to any cup of cocoa—be it out of the box or homemade—is to add a touch of your favorite spices. A sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg or even cayenne can all be welcome warming additions.
Put simply, cocoa powder is extracted from cacao beans. It's dried, fermented and then roasted at a high temperature to sweeten the flavour of the powder. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, can be made in a variety of ways and usually includes a few other ingredients.
Overall, while both chocolate and coffee can be enjoyed in moderation, hot chocolate may offer more satisfying and potentially heart-healthy benefits. However, if you need a quick caffeine fix, coffee may be the better option.
Although hot chocolate doesn't necessarily need an even more creamy, decadent taste, using milk certainly enriches the experience. We suspect that milk adds a creamier taste than water alone, and when combined with the notes of chocolate, the smooth undertones of the milk simply add a delicious backdrop.
Adding a splash of alcohol like rum, brandy, or whisky can transform your hot chocolate into a truly indulgent and sophisticated drink. So go on, delve into the delicious world of spiked hot chocolate, experiment with your favourite flavours, and enjoy every sip of your carefully crafted, indulgent beverage.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: a high-quality cocoa powder or cacao powder is essential. I highly recommend using Ghirardelli's 100% cocoa. I think it has the best flavor for hot chocolate (and trust me, I've tried quite a few!)
The best hot cocoa recipes call for milk. Recipes that use water instead taste thin and lack richness. Whole milk is preferable, and a splash of heavy cream is even better. Get extra richness by using some sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk.
Of course, your hot cocoa mix in the grocery store uses dry milk, and lowfat or nonfat dry milk besides. Your homemade hot chocolate mix is going to taste richer, better than the hot chocolate mix from the grocery store.
Try combining dark chocolate with coffee, ginger, cloves, sea salt or even smoky spices such as chipotle peppers. On the other hand, milk chocolate has a creamy texture and can harmonize well with spices that have a softer profile such as vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pair a 100% chocolate bar with cheese, fruits, nuts, coffee or wine. (More on this in the sections to follow.) Melt the chocolate and add sugar, honey or artificial sweetener. Add candied fruit.
Regular, moderate consumption of cocoa-rich hot chocolate can support cardiovascular health by improving blood flow, reducing blood pressure, and decreasing levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol. However, choosing high-quality cocoa, like the ones we use in our creations, is vital to reap the optimum benefits.
Drinking hot chocolate milk at night can potentially help improve sleep quality, thanks to the soothing psychological effects of consuming a warm drink and the tryptophan content in cocoa. Plus, milk contains calcium and vitamin D, nutrients important for overall health, including the regulation of sleep.
In hot chocolate, emulsifiers like soy lecithin are added to cocoa powder and chocolate bars, helping blend the cocoa butter with the other ingredients. This results in a uniform and smooth consistency, enhancing the overall mouthfeel of the drink.
Warming chocolate drinks are undoubtedly one of winter's greatest pleasures, but if you're drinking a highly processed hot chocolate, you simply aren't reaping the same health benefits as you could be with cacao. Not only is cacao more satisfying and fulfilling, it's also far better for you and the planet!
The two products have a basic ingredient in common — cacao — but are processed and blended differently. Hot cocoa is often flat and sweet, while drinking chocolate is rich and complex in flavor, and can be sweetened or unsweetened.
Milk chocolate is generally made out of cocoa, sugar, milk solids and an emulsifier. However, cocoa is an expensive ingredient, and it's cheaper to use artificial flavourings and colours to emulate the milk chocolate taste while using a very small percentage of cocoa powder.
If you are mindful of your overall intake of added sugars and calories and choose a hot chocolate that is lower in sugar and fat, enjoying it regularly can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Opting for skimmed or plant-based milk versions with little to no added sugars is a sensible choice for daily consumption.
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Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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