This Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate for One is the creamiest, most decadent hot chocolate imaginable.
I have a very important question for you on this gray Monday morning. What is your perfect cup of hot chocolate? Is it lightly sweet? Is it sweetly bitter? Is it, as my sister so helpfully put it trying to describe her perfect hot chocolate, “fluffy,” “not hard,” and “Scottish?” (Sidebar: Whaaaaaat???)
My perfect cup goes a little something like this: thick, creamy, and decadent as hell.
If that sounds like your jam, gather round, friend. That’s what I’m sharing today.
This hot chocolate is not an everyday hot chocolate. If you want something light and chocolatey that you can sip as you go about your every day, try my Three-ingredient Hot Chocolate for One. This recipe here is strictly a special occasion drink. A coldest-day-of-the-year or waiting-for-Santa-on-Christmas-Eve sort of treat, because when I say it’s spectacularly decadent, I am not joking. It’s so rich that you’ll want to sip it slowly and luxuriously, and then probably take a nap afterwards.
I love it so much.
How to make thick hot chocolate
There are a couple ways to get really thick hot chocolate. One of them is to use a bit of cornstarch as a thickener so you get cocoa like a hot drinkable pudding. It’s very good but not what we’re going for today.
To get the smoothest, richest, creamiest drinking chocolate, we’re using real chocolate, and we’re using heavy cream so each sip is a little like drinking a bar of chocolate and a lot like heaven.
You take the chocolate and cream, heat them with some milk, a little sugar and cocoa powder, and a pinch of espresso powder and in less than five minutes time, you’ll be holding a steaming mug of the creamiest, most decadent hot chocolate of your life.
More Cold Weather Drinks
- White Hot Chocolate
- Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Homemade Mocha
- Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have heavy cream, you *can* substitute half and half or any percentage milk. It will still taste great, it just won’t be as rich and thick.
- If you don’t like your beverages very sweet, you can substitute bittersweet chocolate for the semisweet and cut the sugar in half or remove it completely.
- The espresso powder helps bring out the chocolate flavor and will not make your hot chocolate taste like coffee. If you don’t have any, you can omit it or buy it on Amazon or in the coffee aisle at your grocery store. It’s usually sold in a small glass jar next to the instant coffee.
- This recipe makes 1 cup of hot chocolate, enough to fill a standard 8-ounce mug. If you want to fill an over-sized 12 to 16-ounce mug, one and a half or double the recipe.
Thick and Rich Hot Chocolate for One
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (7g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2/3 cup milk any percentage
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped, high-quality chips are fine*
- Whipped cream optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, and water. Whisk over medium-high heat until smooth. Whisk in milk and cream and heat until steaming.
- Turn heat down to medium and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth.
- Transfer to a cup and serve topped with whipped cream if desired and enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Heather Lousie says
Well this looks bloody amazing! If I had any cream I would be making this right now! xx
Tracy says
Hehe, thanks so much, Heather!
CakePants says
I think I just found my new weekend morning indulgence! This looks heavenly…not to mention, it’s a great way to use up the small amounts of extra cream I often have in the fridge this time of year.
Tracy says
Yes! I hate having to figure out what to do with that last little bit of cream. This is definitely a good (indulgent 😉 ) solution!
Bethany says
This looks so, so good!
Tracy says
Thank you, Bethany!!
Beth StGermain says
I have espresso instant coffee. Is this the same as espresso powder?
Tracy says
Hi, Beth. Yes, they’re the same thing.
Beth says
Thank you!!!! Can’t wait to try it!
Izzy says
Do I have to use espresso powder?
Tracy says
Nope. If you don’t have it, you can omit it. It helps bring out the chocolate flavor but is optional.
Chloe says
Oh! My! God! I have been craving a hot chocolate for MONTHS, but every time I’ve had one I’ve been severely disappointed. I decided to give this a go, and I am SO glad I did! It’s utterly delicious!! I had to make a few changes (being in the UK, we don’t really have ‘semisweet’ chocolate, so I used 35% chocolate and ommited the sugar) but the recipe overall was so simple to make, but so delicious to drink!
Now I did have to split the serving between two because it really is utterly decadent and I couldn’t possibly drink the whole thing myself, but that just meant I got to sip it slowly and savour it!
Tracy says
Thanks, Chloe! So happy to hear this recipe didn’t disappoint! 😉
C says
It’s like Spanish Hot Chocolate!
I did the no sugar nor espresso and used bittersweet chips…it tasted like Spain! I’ve had a hard time finding good recipes for churros y chocolate, but this is my new go to. It’s great for dipping cookies, fruit, and churros, or pouring on ice cream.
I chilled the leftovers and ate it with a spoon…just as good, like pudding or chocolate mousse.
Tracy says
Loooove the idea of using this for churros y chocolate. Now I’m totally craving it myself. LOL!
HestyD says
I just made this now and it was great! Thank you for the recipe!
Damian says
So how would i go about making this for a large group say 4 or more ? Also is there away to make it adult and a liquor
Tracy says
You can just multiply the recipe to serve as many as you need. The cooking method won’t change at all. One thing to note, the recipe as written makes a serving of about one cup (8 ounces), which is plenty for a drink this rich, but if you’re serving it to guests in oversized 12 or 16-ounce cups, you might want to plan on 1.5 to 2 servings per person to fill the cups.
As for adding liquor, you definitely can. Bourbon, peppermint schnapps, and Kahlua are all good options, though you may need to add more warm milk to adjust for the added sweetness.
Ron says
My favorite was always to add banana liqueur. So delicious!
Tracy says
This is such a brilliant idea!!
Pat Morales says
Its finally chilly today in FL! Rare for Halloween too. I made it, this morning for my kiddies. Omg this is like sipping chocolate! It was very rich and came together super quick. Will be having this on rotation thru out the Holidays. I used regular instant coffee and that worked out just fine.
Tracy says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Pat!!
Julie says
I just made this for my kids, and it did not disappoint!!! I did not have espresso powder, but definitely can see how it would bring out the flavor. This will be my go-to from now on!!
WadiNE says
can’t wait to try this! I think nutmeg, just a scant 1/8 t., would work instead of espresso. (I REALLY don’t like coffee). Thanks for the recipe
Courtney says
Okay, so it’s snowing outside in upstate NY. Very cold, maybe in the teens, at most. Definitely feeling low energy. Kids are both asleep. I take my first sip of this, and my reaction is literally “wow!” Takes me back to a day of indulging in drinking chocolate on a snowy Quebec day.
Such a mood. I love this recipe!!
Tracy says
That makes me so happy to hear!!
Courtney says
I’ve made this several times, now, and it’s divine. A lot like European drinking chocolate which I miss having access to now that I’m State-side. It really gets even more decadent the higher quality the chocolate it is that I use. Love it!