Making Hot Chocolate
Step 1. Melt the chocolate (2 minutes) ...
Stovetop method: In a pot, melt the chocolate under medium-low heat with a tablespoon of your milk. Use a whisk to lightly stir the chocolate into a slurry.
Microwave method: Place each piece of chocolate into individual glasses or mugs and add a tablespoon of milk to each. Heat them in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until all are melted into a slurry.
Step 2. Add the milk of your choice ...
For Hot Chocolate:
Stovetop method: Add 8 ounces of milk and under medium-high heat, stir with a whisk to bring the milk to almost a boil. Should take about two minutes.
Microwave method: Add 8 ounces of milk to each cup or mug. Heat in the microwave in further 30 second intervals, stirring each time until hot. This should take about 2 minutes depending on your microwave.
For Iced Hot Chocolate:
Add 6 ounces of milk to any of our melted chocolate flavors and stir. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze for two hours. When frozen, blend the remaining 2 ounces of milk with the frozen cubes in an ice crushing blender and serve with a straw.
For Chocolate Milkshake:
Blend 4 ounces of milk and 4 ounces of vanilla ice cream with any of our melted chocolate flavors in a blender and serve with a straw.
For Chocolate Milk:
Blend 8 ounces of milk with any of our melted chocolate flavors in a blender. Refrigerate to desired temperature. Then stir and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions:
WHY MELT THE CHOCOLATE: For hot chocolate, there is not enough heat in a cup of hot milk to completely melt a 50 gram piece of chocolate, so the chocolate should be melted first. For cold chocolate drinks, a blender will not blend solid chocolate well with milk unless melted first.
ANY KIND OF MILK: Each piece of our chocolate is made up of 30% of cocoa butter (the ingredient missing from hot chocolate powders). This allows our chocolate be made with any kind of milk like cream to skim milk or vegetable milks and even plain water. The cocoa butter in our chocolate will supply a rich creaminess to your chocolate drink.
WHY DOES REAL CHOCOLATE TASTE SO GOOD: It has cocoa butter, a natural, healthy vegetable fat. But what is really special about cocoa butter is that it melts at exactly human body temperature. That's why it melts on your fingers or in your pocket. And that is why it tastes so good. Your mouth senses the chocolate changing it's state from solid to liquid and that gives you that warm, enrobing feeling you get when the chocolate melts in your mouth, releasing its ingredients in a burst of flavor and aroma.
WHY USE REAL CHOCOLATE: It has cocoa butter, which keeps the chocolate solid at room temperature but easily melts in your mouth. Chocolate syrups used to make milkshakes and chocolate milk use coconut oil or water which is liquid at room temperature, but hardly tastes as rich and creamy as cocoa butter. Hot chocolate powders only contain cocoa powder without any cocoa butter and they rely solely on the fats in the milk to provide the creamy flavor for the hot chocolate.
TASTE THE DIFFERENCE: Our delicious Belgian chocolate is made by Callebaut. Try enjoying this fine chocolate as you would a fine wine. Notice its color and appearance, enjoy its aromatic aromas, feel it's texture on your tongue and pallet and how they combine into a totally delightful experience. And finally, savior its lingering creamy aftereffects and tastiness as it lasts in your mouth and slowly dissipates.