How To Make French Hot Chocolate At Home

Make French hot chocolate from scratch at home, just like in France.  The French hot chocolate or “chocolat chaud” can be served for breakfast or on a cold winter day in a mug in front of the fire. 

This recipe is for a decadent breakfast hot chocolate which is infused with vanilla and cinnamon that bring a delicate balance to the dark chocolate flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• Half a litre of full cream milk 
• 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 
• 1 or 2 cinnamon barks 
• 1 pinch of sugar 
• A few drops of vanilla essence 
• 1 tbsp of pure cocoa powder 
• 1 pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan on a medium to high heat, adding the cinnamon bark and vanilla essence at the beginning. 
2. When boiling point is reached, reduce the heat to a minimum, stir and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off. 
3. Turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon.  Add a good tablespoon of cocoa powder and stir in.  Filter the milk, wash the saucepan before returning the milk. Turn the heat back on. 
4. Add a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt.  Add the chocolate pieces and stir in gently until the mix is smooth and silky. 
5. The chocolate can then be served, but if a thicker mix is desired, keep cooking until the desired consistency is reached.