There are few things in life more satisfying than a nice cup of hot chocolate, cocoa, whatever you want to call it. Especially on a cold night, it really hits the spot and with its warm milk content it can even help you get to sleep at night. You can buy amazing hot chocolates these days from high street coffee shops too, and the standard has generally improved, but fear not, you can up your hot chocolate game at home using a milk frother, which can even be easier than traditional methods.
What You Need:
Drinking Chocolate/Cocoa
Milk
Milk Frother/Warmer
Optional Extras (we’ll come to this)
Method
First up, choose your weapon in terms of drinking chocolate. You can buy cocoa which is unsweetened and has a more bitter flavour, but I recommend going with drinking chocolate, especially for kids, or if you just have a sweet tooth. Whichever drinking chocolate you choose will have the instructions for ratios, for instance three tablespoons for a cup of hot chocolate. Mix this together with the milk while it is still cold, and then on to the next step. (Top Tip: Add either some nutmeg, vanilla or cinnamon depending on your personal preference to bring out more flavors).
This will depend on which milk frother you have gone for, but I recommend a frother which simultaneously heats and froths, something along the lines of Nespresso’s Aeroccino Plus, or for a slightly cheaper option, the Secura Authomatic Frother. You can add your mixture to the frother and in most cases just flick the switch and go! Within no time it will be hot and frothy and ready to go. These models really have made the frothing and heating super easy and though there are slight variations from model to model, your instructions will easily set you along the right path here. The nespresso takes just 70 seconds to heat milk. The cleanup is even more simple than using a pan to heat as many people have done in the past for their hot chocolate.
Now, if you’re happy with your hot chocolate as it is there is no need to do anything more, but I recommend some more alterations for your hot chocolate:
Combine with a shot of espresso for a mocha, a drink you can buy in coffee shops but until now has been tough to make at home.
Add some whipped cream on top and some sprinkles.
Dunk in a marshmallow for extra flavor and presentation.
Add some chocolate syrup on top for even more luxury.
Conclusion
So there you have it. There’s really no rocket science involved in this method of making hot chocolate at home, you just need a milk frother and your normal cocoa ingredients. The clean up is easy, the prep is easy and it can be done quicker than preparing on the stove. It is easier than ever to make hot drinks at home, and this is the perfect companion to take to bed on a cold evening. Never be bored of the same old instant hot chocolate again.