French vanilla hot chocolate is one of the most celebrated flavors of hot chocolate. This is the drink of romance for many, and those who never had a taste of this drink have missed on so much sweetness. But what can you do if you find yourself craving for some hot cocoa but no vanilla? How could you make one at home to satisfy your sweet tooth? Well, there’s nothing wrong with craving for more sweet things.
French Vanilla Hot Chocolate is a delicious, creamy treat enjoyed by children and adults alike. This homemade French Vanilla Hot Chocolate recipe will have a gourmet coffee shop quality warming your lips with its taste.
Making hot chocolate at home is a great way to spoil yourself or a loved one during the holidays. Hot chocolate can be paired well with almost any dessert and is especially good for coffee lovers. Coffee and cocoa powder combined together will deliver a smooth taste with warming effect. Other than this, you could also add some cream on top of the drink just to make it creamy.
You Will Need
You will need:
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or in chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Keep a bag of this hot chocolate mix in your pantry to make a delicious treat in less than 10 minutes.
1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk together 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons French vanilla non-dairy creamer until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add 1 (4-ounce) package white chocolate chips and whisk until melted.
3. Stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, if desired, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon sticks and chocolate shavings, if desired.
Prepare the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
Pour in milk.
Add milk a little bit at a time to the dry ingredients. It’s important to mix as you go, so that you have a smooth batter with no lumps. You can use either whole or low fat milk for this recipe. I usually use whole milk, but low fat milk works just as well.
Add vanilla extract and baking powder.
At this point, your batter will be runny and liquid-y – don’t worry! That is how it should look like before baking powder has been added in. Mix in the vanilla extract with the batter and then sift in the baking powder. Mix everything together until everything is well combined and you have a smooth batter again. It may take a couple minutes of mixing to get rid of any lumps or bumps in the batter from the baking powder, but eventually it should be smooth again!
Add the dry ingredients to the milk.
French Vanilla Hot Chocolate is a rich, decadent drink that’s perfect for relaxing on a chilly winter evening. It’s made with milk and cream, but not just any milk and cream – it’s made with French Vanilla creamer. This gives the hot chocolate an extra kick of vanilla flavor that you don’t get with regular milk or even whole milk. It also makes it creamy enough so there’s no need to add sugar to sweeten up your cup of cocoa.
To make French Vanilla Hot Chocolate at home, you will need to start by mixing together all of your dry ingredients in one bowl:
- 2 cups milk (or almond milk if you want to make this dairy free!)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or coconut oil)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder*
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Whisk together until combined, then set aside until ready to use. You may need to whisk again before using since some settling will occur during storage.*
Finish it off with vanilla and a pinch of salt.
French vanilla hot chocolate is a warm, thick drink made with dark chocolate and vanilla. Instead of the traditional hot cocoa, which is made with milk chocolate, this version has a richer flavor and a smoother texture because it’s made with dark chocolate. The highlight of the recipe is that it uses a real vanilla bean — not just vanilla extract. This gives it an authentic flavor that is hard to replicate.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions:
Add milk and sugar to saucepan; whisk to combine. Add chopped chocolate; stir to melt. Place over medium heat, bring to simmer and keep at simmer until the mixture is hot and thickens slightly — about 3 minutes. Do not let it boil! Turn off heat and add vanilla bean paste or extract and salt (if using). Whisk until frothy; serve immediately.
Pour into mugs and serve hot.
French Vanilla Hot Chocolate.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine milk, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add heavy cream and salt. Whisk until combined and frothy. Pour into mugs and serve hot.
So the next time you find yourself craving something a little sweeter and richer, opt for making up some homemade vanilla hot chocolate. It’s a surprisingly easy recipe to make and is guaranteed to warm you up on those cozy winter nights.
