Brazilian Hot Cocoa is thick, silky and unbelievably creamy! A decadent treat to warm you up and sooth your soul. You’ll want to sip this all winter long!
Love cozy drinks? We also have Mexican Hot Chocolate, Low Carb Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate, Frozen Hot Chocolateand Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix.
The creamiest hot cocoa!
If you haven’t cozied up with a mug of hot cocoa on a cold day, you are not living your best life! And, for me, nothing beats the richness of our Brazilian version.
What makes it Brazilian, you might be asking yourself. I’ll give you one shot!
If you’re familiar with Brazilian cuisine, I bet you got it right. Sweetened condensed milk, of course. Our favorite ingredient for all things sweet!
The condensed milk brings this hot cocoa to a whole new level. Thick, velvety, sweet and oh so luscious!
If you’re a fan of drinking chocolate, you’ll want to give our Chocolate Quente a try. It’s especially delicious by the fire, after a day out in the snow.
What’s the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate?
Both terms are often used interchangeably, so you might think they are the same thing.
And while they’re both delicious, there is a main difference.
Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder and hot chocolate is made with melted hot chocolate. That sometimes means that hot cocoa is lighter in body than hot chocolate, but not in this case!
Brazilian Chocolate Quente is made with cocoa powder but is rich and thick like hot chocolate.
Chocolate Quente Ingredients
The basic ingredients to make this hot cocoa recipe are:
I also like to add a pinch of cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick) and a splash of vanilla extract. And if I’m feeling naughty, a little dose of bourbon or cachaça!
How to make Brazilian Hot Cocoa recipe
Making this recipe is easy and straight-forward. The only important thing to remember is that you must whisk the cornstarch in the milk before you bring your pot to the stove, or it might clump up.
This recipe is also easily halved or doubled, and very customizable!
Combine all the ingredients: Add milk and cornstarch to a saucepan, and whisk until the cornstarch has dissolved. Then, add the sweet condensed milk and cocoa powder, and whisk until combined. The cocoa powder won’t quite blend in, but that’s okay! It will dissolve later.
Cook until thick: Add the sweet condensed milk and bring the pan to the stove, over medium heat. Cook – stirring every now and then – until hot but not boiling. Add vanilla extract, if using, and serve!
If the drink is too thick, you can add more milk to thin it out.
How long will hot cocoa last in the fridge?
This drink will last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
It will get quite thick, almost like pudding or mousse, so when ready to reheat, you should bring it back to the stove and reheat on medium-low heat, adding some more milk as needed!
Serving suggestions
You have your hot cocoa, now what?
Well, you could just… drink it! But why not spice things up a bit?
A splash of booze – for grown-ups only, obviously.
A sprinkle of cinnamon
Chocolate shavings
Toasted coconut
Marshmallows – regular, mini or those big fun ones that are everywhere during the Christmas season.
Crushed peppermint sticks
Candy cane
Caramel or hot fudge sauce.
And as I said earlier, you can customize the recipe by adding fun ingredients, like vanilla extract, chili powder, coconut extract, nutmeg and even coffee!
Yield: 4
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Brazilian Hot Cocoa is thick, silky and unbelievably creamy! A decadent treat to warm you up and sooth your soul. You'll want to sip this all winter long!
Ingredients
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (14 ounce) can sweet condensed milk
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Combine the milk and cornstarch in a saucepan and whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon (if using) and sweet condensed milk, whisking to combine.
Bring to the stove, over medium heat, and cook until the cocoa powder has dissolved and the mixture is hot, creamy and thick. Do not boil! If the hot cocoa is too thick, add milk to bring it to the desired consistency.
Add the vanilla extract, if using.
Pour into mugs and serve, topped with whipped cream!
Notes
Consistency: Brazilian Hot Cocoa is best enjoyed right after you make it. It will get thicker as it cools, so drink up! :)
Leftovers: You can refrigerate the hot cocoa after it cools down. It will get very thick in the fridge, so reheat on the stove, over medium-low heat, and be prepared to add some more milk if needed.
Booze: If you want to spike it, bourbon and cachaça are my favorites!
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The warm, liquid form of the chocolate consumed was very different from today's hot cocoa, being laden with chili powder and other spices making it a hot and sultry treat popular with royalty while lay people occasionally enjoyed its healing qualities.
Ingredients: Hot chocolate gets its deep, chocolatey flavor from the base of thick, melted chocolate. Warm liquids like water, milk, or cream are added to make the drink liquid. Hot cocoa, however, is made from a powdered base of cocoa, sugar, and added flavorings.
Real cocoa powder is made by grinding roasted cocoa beans into a fine powder. It contains cocoa solids, which give it its characteristic chocolate flavor, as well as cocoa butter, which gives it a smooth texture. When mixed with hot milk or water, the cocoa solids dissolve and create a rich, chocolatey flavor.
Unlike the standard hot chocolate we top with marshmallows or whipped cream, Spanish hot chocolate is much richer and has a pudding-like consistency. As such, it's served in smaller portions and a shallower cup, making it easier to coat each bite of sugar-cinnamon-dusted churro.
The Aztecs took chocolate admiration to another level. They believed cacao was given to them by their gods. Like the Maya, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spiced chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods.
Mexican hot chocolate contains spices like cinnamon and chili and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a very rich but less sweet flavor. Whereas traditional American hot chocolate is usually made with a combination of cocoa powder and/or chocolate and tends to be more on the sweet side.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: a high-quality cocoa powder or cacao powder is essential. I highly recommend using Ghirardelli's 100% cocoa. I think it has the best flavor for hot chocolate (and trust me, I've tried quite a few!)
Hot chocolate can be a comforting and delicious treat, but it is important to remember that, like other sugary foods, it is also high in calories, sugar, and fat. If consumed in moderation, hot chocolate can be part of a healthy diet as it provides some essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, and magnesium.
Although hot chocolate doesn't necessarily need an even more creamy, decadent taste, using milk certainly enriches the experience. We suspect that milk adds a creamier taste than water alone, and when combined with the notes of chocolate, the smooth undertones of the milk simply add a delicious backdrop.
Both Switzerland and France are renowned for their hot chocolate, and each country offers a distinct experience. Switzerland is famous for its rich and indulgent hot chocolate. Swiss hot chocolate tends to be thick, creamy, and often made with high-quality chocolate.
Italy is another European country that loves its thick hot chocolate. Their version of hot chocolate uses heavy cream and milk like the French. But unlike the French, they go an extra step by adding cornstarch to thicken the mixture even more. The result is a pudding-like consistency that is still pourable.
French hot chocolate, or chocolat chaud, is similar to the Italian version in that it has a very strong cocoa flavor. Several gourmet hot cocoa recipes include brown sugar for a complex, deep sweetness, while some contain only milk and chocolate! In comparison, ciocolatta calda stands out in its richness and thickness.
Initially, chocolate was still a bitter drink, used mainly for medicinal purposes and with the spices added. Once the addition of sugar and honey was added, it became incredibly popular across Europe.
Mesoamerican chocolate was very different from the sweet and creamy treat of today! During the Mayan period, people usually consumed chocolate as a bitter and spicy drink. This is because rather than adding sugar, they added cornmeal and chillies to the cacao to get the spicy flavor.
The main difference between Mexican chocolate and chocolate from the rest of the world is its texture. Many chocolates from Europe and the rest of the world use more cocoa butter and more sugar, which makes them sweeter in taste, and gives them a smoother, creamier texture.
Traditionally, drinking chocolate requires melting chocolate pieces or nibs directly into hot water or milk, while hot chocolate can be crafted by whisking cacao powder with hot milk or water. The latter often allows for a faster preparation, while the former is a ritual, a pause, a moment to cherish.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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