Italian Hot Chocolate (Cioccolata Calda)
This Italian Hot Chocolate or Cioccolata Calda is a thick and creamy chocolate drink that has minimal ingredients, is comforting and easy and quick to make.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 2 mugs
Calories: 663kcal
- 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate chopped
- 1 cup whole milk divided
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbs sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
In medium sauce pan add 3/4 cup milk, heavy cream and sugar and heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves and it starts to bubble around the edges (about 7-8 minutes).
In a small container whisk together your remaining 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch together.
Once your milk, cream and sugar mixture has started bubbling whisk in your cornstarch mixture and heat again for about 1 minute.
Add in your chopped chocolate and whisk over medium heat until chocolate melts and it thickens (about 5 minutes).
Remove from heat and whisk in your vanilla extract (this is optional) until combined.
Pour into mugs and serve with whipped topping and chocolate shavings if desired.
- For a stronger dark chocolate flavor use chocolate that has at least 60% cocoa, for a sweeter less dark chocolate flavor use anything less than that.
- You can change up chocolate using dark, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and even white.
- I recommend using baking bars for this that are chopped up, they are higher quality and melt better, stay away from chocolate chips.
- Do not heat your milk too fast, this will scald and burn your milk, do not go over medium heat on this recipe at any given time.
- If you want a thicker Cioccolata Calda then add a little bit more cornstarch to the mixture, 1 tsp at a time, if you want a thinner consistency just add a little bit more milk or cream.
Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1101IU | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 4mg