A hot chocolate recipe that's old fashioned and comforting. It makes the kitchen smell wonderful and it's good for the soul.
This is sooo good! I, too, only added 1/2 c sugar. I never use half and half so I decided to use evaporated milk instead. I didn't want to waste the other 8 oz of evap milk so I just poured the 12 oz can into a 4 c measure and then filled with milk and heated it all. I didn't bother with adding some cold milk to the hot chocolate. Yum Yum, just what I wanted on a cool morning, thanks Jeanie Bean!
Read Morepretty good, but very, very sweet. next time i'll add less sugar and maybe use unsweetened chocolate pieces instead of the cocoa powder.
Read MoreThis is sooo good! I, too, only added 1/2 c sugar. I never use half and half so I decided to use evaporated milk instead. I didn't want to waste the other 8 oz of evap milk so I just poured the 12 oz can into a 4 c measure and then filled with milk and heated it all. I didn't bother with adding some cold milk to the hot chocolate. Yum Yum, just what I wanted on a cool morning, thanks Jeanie Bean!
OMG - this is the best cocoa!!! I made it as the recipe stated and it was overly sweet for my taste. Then made it per the reviewers suggestions and it was much, much better! Definitely decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup; your blood sugar levels will thank you!!! Increased the vanilla to 1 teaspoon and a note of caution - DO NOT use cheap vanilla as you can taste the difference between good vanilla and the inexpensive type sold in the supermarket. You'll be glad you did... Thanks Jeanie for submitting this great recipe! Definitely a keeper!!!
This cocoa was indeed creamy and tasty. Although my family found it entirely too sweet. The second time I made it I used a little less than 1/2 cup sugar and it was much better.
This recipe is from the Hershey's box with added sugar and half & half, that's all. Ironically, most cut the sugar to the same measurement as Hershey's. I must agree. I added 1/4 c of malted milk but will go with 1/2 c next time.
Best hot chocolate I have made and I have made several listed on this site. I did reduce the sugar but then turned around and added some Starbuck's mint syrup which is sweet. Heavenly! So rich it tastes like melted candy bars. Very creamy! Mmmm....
pretty good, but very, very sweet. next time i'll add less sugar and maybe use unsweetened chocolate pieces instead of the cocoa powder.
WAAAAAYYYYYYY too sweet. But great flavor otherwise. I will definitely keep the recipe, just cut the sugar by 1/2.
this is the best hot chocolate reciepe that i have ever made so rich and delicious.
I am in love with this recipe!! I tried another hot chocolate recipe from the website but it just didn't compare! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!! I did revise it a little bit I added 1/2 tsp ginger and nutmeg to it plus added whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin spice on top. Perfect for a cold winter night!
Move over Swiss Miss! With each sip, I'm liking this hot cocoa recipe more and more. It is incredibly rich and creamy, and the taste is absolutely out of this world. The recipe is fairly simple, but a few tips can make it even simpler. To judge when the hot cocoa is ready to be removed from the heat, place your hand over the steam coming from the pot. If you cannont keep it there without feeling significant heat after 4 seconds, the cocoa is ready! If you do not want to divide the cocoa into four mugs, add the entire 1/2 cup of cream into the pot along with the vanilla, and portion as you please. Reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup if you are looking for a bolder, more bitter flavor, but adding all 3/4 cup seems to make it just sweet enough. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the cold winter day! Three cheers for Jeanie!
I don't think I can ever go back to instant after this - satisfying enough to be a dessert on a snowy evening. It is a little sweet - so try a 1/2 cup of sugar and add more to taste if necessary. I didn't use the 1/2 and 1/2 and dunked plenty of marshmallows in it - makes 3 decent servings or 2 big servings in coffee mugs. The four servings would be in little coffee cups and perhaps not quite enough on their own. I also used 1% Lactaid, and it was still wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Easy to make for one! Need a 2c. mug, small whisk, 1T. and 1/8 tsp. measure, & microwave. Place 2T. water, 2 1/2 T. cocoa, 1T. sugar, and pinch of salt in bottom of mug. Stir with small whisk. Microwave 1 minute. Whisk in 1 1/2c. milk and microwave 2 1/2 minutes. For full-bodied taste stir in 1/8 t. vanilla, 1/8 t. almond extract, & 1T. half & half or whipping cream. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and stir. This gives you a tasty way to get 50% of your daily calcium and leaves hardly any dishes to wash!
Yummy! I made this while we had friends visiting. It was the perfect beverage to get the cold edge off. Very rich, but that's the way I like it! During the holiday season's it's nice with a candy cane.
Creamy indeed! It's microwaveable. You don't really need a stove for this recipe. I will make this always.
WAY too sweet. 1/2 cup of sugar is just about right for most tastes (we like it with even about one Tb less than that.) A tiny pinch (whatever you can hold between your index finger and thumb only) of baking soda helps smooth out the acidity of the cocoa, if you're not using a Dutch process brand like Droste. The standard Hershey cocoa will benefit from that tiny addition.
It was really good. I just loved it.
We LOVE this hot cocoa. Very rich and creamy...perfect for a cold winter day. I do reduce the amount of sugar...3/4 cup is too much. I actually put in about 1/4 cup, stir it into the chocolate mix and then taste it...I add more sugar to taste. So I really don't know exactly how much sugar I use but I do know it is less than what is listed here. Maybe more along the lines of 1/2 cup or a little less. My kids and husband love this recipe.
I took the advice of others and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. Very yummy on a cold day!
As previous reviews suggested, I cut sugar down to ½ cup. Perfect cup of creamy hot chocolate. My entire family enjoyed it during these cold winter days in Texas. It's a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
WOW delicious! Glad I followed the other reviewers' advice and only used 1/2 cup sugar- it was sweet enough. I stirred 1/2 cup of Bailey's in with the milk and topped with some of that liquor whipped cream- a nice adult version of a childhood favorite! Yum :D
This was very quick and easy to make and it tasted great.
I didn't have whole milk, I had skim. I think it would have been too rich with the whole milk anyway (for me at least!). I only made one serving, so I did not follow the directions exactly. I stirred up the dry ingredients in a mug, then whipped the hot water into it until well blended. I then whipped the skim milk and half and half in. Microwaved until hot and served with whipped cream (from a can). YUMM! A nice Sunday afternoon indulgence!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was so sweet I couldnt force myself to drink it. I love rich things but this was thick and just too much.
We don't keep half and half on hand but saw that another reviewer used evaporated milk instead. I had a can of that so I used the entire can and scaled the milk back by 1 cup. As others suggested, I cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup. I made this because my son wanted something warm to soothe his sore throat. This did the trick! This made a generous amount of hot chocolate so the rest is in the crockpot on warm until needed.
I made this recipe just as it is written, and it was great! It's good to make on a cold night when you just want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie.
This is now a staple in our home, my daughter says "MOM that is the best ever!"
AWESOME!!!! It was better than starbucks. I substituted the half and half for whipped cream and used slightly less sugar. YUMMY
There's nothing like a cup of homemade hot cocoa. This is quite sweet, but I like my cocoa like that. However, you may want to reduce the sugar if you put marshmallows in your cocoa. The cream adds a nice richness. Perfect for a chilly night.
This was great! I used organic cocoa and dehydrated cane sugar instead of white sugar to make it a little healthier. The kids and my husband loved it and I feel much better serving this then the store bought stuff. Thanks.
Wow, what a tasty, chocolatey treat. My husband loved this homemade version. A little on the rich side. I thinned the chocolate out with some cream and it was still wonderful.
This is sooo... good! I followed the recipe exact and it turned out great. Just PERFECT!
I made mine red for christmas by adding some liquid food coloring...it was cute and delicious!
Not my favourtie, sorry. My hot cocoa consists of warming milk on the stove and whisking in Nesquik so I thouht this would be way better but even the kids agreed that our tried and true easy method is better! I didn't care for the bitter cocoa after taste.
This is the first time I was making homemade hot chocolate. I am really picky about my hot chocolate and I just did not like this recipe and neither did my husband. He said he prefers swiss miss over this recipe.
I only added a 1/2 cup of sugar. Too much sugar otherwise. I might try this again with dark chocolate instead
This had good flavor, but even only using 1/2 cup of sugar seemed too much - it was very sweet. I also used evaporated milk as I did not have half and half on hand.
Very good, just a few days ago I had made a delicous hot cocoa and this one tasted the excact same. My finishing result looked and tasted like what I was expecting. This time, I used sweetened cocoa powder (because I didn't have any unsweetened), so I just reduced the sugar amount and it was just fine.
I used Lake Champlain cocoa, a high quality cocoa, and it made a delicious hot cocoa drink. This recipe makes a classic cocoa that is perfect on a chilly day. Because I used 1% milk, the next time I will use heavy cream instead of the half and half for a creamier taste.
This is easy to whip up after coming in from sledding. Ingredients are on hand and it is sooooo delicious. Creamy and rich. I usually leave out the cream at the end and add water instead. It's still so rich.
We just put up our tree today and looked in the cupboard to find out we were out of instant cocoa. Found this recipe and it saved the day! Delicious! We added a drop of cool whip and sprinkled cocoa on top. Thanks!
A little bit rich/sweet... I couldn'd drink more than 1 glass, but it was delicious, definitely something I'll make again!
Wonderful hot chocolate. Whatever you do, do not reduce the amount of sugar or you will ruin it. It makes 4 servings, afterall, and you can never call this too sweet. Sure warms up the tummy on a cold night.
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I am sipping it, while I type this review! This has a wonderful, creamy flavor. I did REDUCE THE SUGAR and per other reviewers advice, used half a cup of sugar. Other that that, I followed the directions exactly as written, and did not change anything else. One thing I would recommend is DO NOT ADD THE CREAM TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MUG. When I poured the hot chocolate into the mug with the cream, it was not even lukewarm! That was due to the cream, being in the mug already! Add the cream AFTER you pour your hot chocolate, not before. Also (and this is just my personal preference), I did use all organic ingredients. In the directions where you add milk and then heat UNTIL HOT, I would HIGLY RECOMMEND at this point, BRINGING IT TO A GENTLE BOIL and immediately remove from heat. THEN, pour in your cream. FIVE STARS! Love this! Jeanie Bean, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It's a keeper.
Like many others I cut the sugar to half a cup and it was perfect! I didn't have whipped cream but next time I'll be sure to make my own.
Was very creamy (which was nice). But WAY too sweet. I would not recommend giving this to children. They will be bouncing off the walls. Not sure how much but the sugar needs to be cut back.
This hot cocoa is way too sweet. It's essentially diabetes in a cup. The recipe has all the right stuff just too much of it. Decrease the sugar by at least 1/3.
My kids and visitors love this drink. I reduced the amount of sugar to just 1/2 cup. Thanks to Jeanie for sharing the recipe with us...
excellent recipe. the technique of wisking the cocoa powder and sugar with the water first ensures the cocoa is smooth and creamy. yum!
This is so much better than the stuff that comes in a packet. I added a dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper for an extra kick.
Soooo yummy! I made this for my little guy and I and poured the cocoa mixture into the cups first, then whisked in the water, then the heated milk to cut down on the stove production process. I scaled the recipe down to 2 and used only 2 tbsp. sugar and 1 cup milk in each mug. Completely forgot the vanilla and didn't have the cream, I can't imagine how good it tastes with those because as it was it was the best hot chocolate I've ever had!
This recipe is fantastic but I alter it slightly. It's a bit sweeter than I would like so I cut out some sugar and I don't add the vanilla- I think it takes away from the flavor. I also like my hot cocoa to be a bit thick so I add either some flour or cornstarch to achieve that texture.
mmm!!! I tried 1 1/2 cups of sugar and it was still really sweet so I tried it again and added 1 cup and it was great!!! I also used skim milk instead of half & half and it tasted just as good.
When temperatures drop from 80 to 25 overnight, you need a great hot cocoa recipe! I made the cocoa for some guests, and they loved it! If you use marshmallow's, 1/2 cup sugar is perfect, but if not, 3/4 cup of sugar works best. I did add 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips. I will definitely use this recipe again! **Made this again...to celebrate the putting up of our christmas tree:) I was out of milk, so I used a mixture of 1/2 & 1/2 and evaporated milk. I had some homemade caramel, so I added just a bit to the cocoa. We had toppings of marshmallows, crushed original andes mints and crushed candy cane andes mints. Again, this was a hit!
Great recipe! I used vanilla soy milk instead of the vanilla, cream and milk and it was so thick and creamy!
It is a little sweet for my taste. Maybe a bit more milk but otherwise fantastic!!!!!! Definitely my new "go-to" recipe.
Excellent! I've never made hot cocoa from scratch and it was incredibly easy and delicious. It was a tad too sweet for my tastes - and I love sweet stuff so next time I'll cut back a little bit. I'm never buying powdered stuff again!
Amazing! Perfectly sweet, not too rich or creamy, but just enough for you to sip away your worries. I didn't have any half and half on hand, so I diluted whole milk and that worked fine. The family loves this, and it's a must for holiday - or cold - get togethers.
Waaaay too sweet. Otherwise good. I would try 1/2 c. sugar to start and go from there. No wonder us Americans are getting fat. Really, in Europe the hot chocolate is not anywhere near this sweet, and I think it is better that way. The pastries are not as sweet either.
This was amazing! The first time I made it I use all evaporated milk and it was too rich.The second time I used 1-12 ounce can of evaporated milk then enough skim milk to equal 3 1/2 cups and I ommitted the cream. Sooo creamy!
An excellent cocoa, but definitely too sweet. Reduce that as others have said, and this is a primo recipe!
This is delicious hot cocoa but a little too sweet for my tastes. I also reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup like other reviewers did but still found it too sweet. Next time I'll use 1/3 cup and see if that's perfect. Topped with whipped cream this made a wonderful warm drink.
We loved this! Made it to drink while we decorated the tree and it was a hit! Made it exactly as written and didn't find it too sweet - neither did my kids! :)
Fantastic! I've used vanilla beans and cut them open and steeped them in my milk while its warming. FREAKING AWESOME! I also add half a coffee cup of this chocolate and then fill the rest with coffee. DECADENT!
Absolutely excellent. I am a chocolate lover, so I decreased the milk by 1/2 cup since it was the first time I tried it. It was VERY rich. Next time I will just go by the recipe which I think will be perfect!
Perfect! Reduced sugar to 1/2 cup and added coffee creamer instead of half and half (because I didn't have any).
Not bad.... While I enjoyed this, I prefer Verushka's candy cane cocoa just a smidgin more (I LOOOVE anything minty). What I did like aobut this was the addition of half-and-half cream. I like my cocoa lukewarm. Adding chilled half-half cooled it down to a perfect drinkable temperature! My only issue with this is how sweet it was (but that's an easy fix). I will definitely make this again, but will be SURE to decrease the amount of sugar (or use all sugar substitute or a combination of sugar / substitute instead). NOTE: This recipe will give you 4 VERY small cups of cocoa. If you use large mugs like I do, you'll find that this yields more like 2 servings worth. I halved this (just making a cup for myself) and it filled my large mug with about 1/4 c. leftover. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Thanks for sharing, Jeanie Bean! This was a great way to warm up on this chilly Midwest afternoon! :-)
This was really really good! Becca made it the way we usually do, mix the cocoa, sugar and salt in a small bowl with a whisk before adding to the boiling water. Add a pinch of cinnamon and... Voila! The best hot cocoa you`ve ever tasted!
TOOOOOOOO sweet. This nearly gave my mom a heart attack. Minus the sweetness issue, this hot chocolate was creamy and warm.
absolutely amazing. This cocoa is a dessert in itself. I had whipped 1 cup of cream and added 3tbs of white sugar. and sprinkled cinnamin on top. yum
This is so easy and so good! I'm loving this for the holidays, I've already made it twice!! (And I'm not a stove-top hot cocoa kind of gal.)
I agree with the rest of the reviewers; 3/4ths a cup of white sugar is too much unless you have a severe sweet tooth. I lowered it to 1/2 a cup, and it has a better, more fulfilling chocolate taste. Also, for a bit of fun, adult flavor, I added half a teaspoon of Kahlua, and I topped it with a large dollop of whipped cream and sprinkled semi-sweet chocolate morsels over the whipped cream. However, overall, the recipe is very competent, and I found it easy to follow and resulting in a pleasing, warm cocoa! Bravo!
The snow has finally arrived, so I have decided to take it upon myself to find the most delicious and decedent hot chocolate recipe on the web. I adore hot chocolate and really don’t need any excuse to drink it… This recipe was made of pretty basic pantry ingredients which I liked! The taste was not quite as creamy as I expected, it’s very sweet. So unless you have a sweet tooth you may want to cut down on the sugar. It’s a pretty good starting point but the search much go on!!!
Excellent - modified. Per large mug, add 1 cup 2% milk, 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1.5 Tbsp sugar, dash salt, 3 Tbsp boiling water. Follow directions as noted. Top with whipped cream & tiny semi-sweet morsels. Decadent. Richer than original recipe, and not overly sweet. No need to add half and half.
yummy & easy! what more could you want? I did cut the sugar down by 1/3, though--tried it with the full amount specified and it was MUCH too sweet.
This turned out much tastier than I was expecting. I scaled it down to 1 serving and used only 1/2 tbs. sugar. Insteady of whipping cream, I used flavored coffee creamer and it was delicious.
Very easy and delicious hot cocoa, from now on I'll make this and NOT buy it premade. Slight changes I made: Less sugar (half a cup instead of 2/3), and a bit more milk (4 cups instead of 3 1/2 cup).
Made this with 1/2c sugar at the suggestion of previous reviewers. I also left out the half & half at the end, I just served it like it came out of the pan! ABSOLUTELY perfect for a cold evening, now hubby wants some every night! Thanks for the recipe.
I eliminated the half and half (didn't have any) and vanilla so really just used the cocoa, sugar and salt with milk. Followed suggestions and used 1/2 a cup. Yummy!
This is ok but it is wayyy to chocolaty for my family and I. I would recommend to half the cocoa powder for a more Milk Chocolate Hot cocoa.
It's a great recipe but it was too sweet. I used 1/4 cup of white sugar instead of 3/4 cup. It turned out great!
I cut this recipe for 2 people. Because of the dark chocolate cocoa I used I did use all of the sugar called for in the recipe. It's pretty good, not the best cocoa I ever had, but not bad. I did not add the cream at the end.
My sons LOVE this cocoa. I use really good cocoa powder and follow the recipe as written. So much better than anything you could buy in a package. A regular in our household.
Yum! It's been snowing all day so I decided to make this recipe. I cut back the sugar to 1/2 cup like others suggested. It's delicious!
