This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Hannah Yarrington. Find her on Instagram at @513hny. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
If you know anything about French people, you’d know they love to indulge in the finer things in life, and chocolate is no exception. With Christmas and winter steadily approaching, cozying up by the fire with a warm drink is always at the top of my to-do list. Recently, I’ve been seeing loads of French hot chocolate TikTok videos resurfacing, and I can attest that it is absolutely delicious and a must try. So today, I will teach you the yummy French hot chocolate recipe that is perfect as a sweet treat after a holiday dinner or while watching a Christmas movie.
History of French Hot Chocolate
According to the Chateau de Versaille when chocolate was first brought to France by the Spanish, it was quickly recognized by the nobility as being unique and simply mouthwatering. So, they reserved it only for themselves for quite a while, gaining more and more in popularity as time went on. Le chocolat chaud was especially loved by Louis XV as well. After centuries passed, the French were really able to perfect their spin on hot chocolate, and it has been a staple in their culture since then.
Disclaimer: This recipe is not for the faint of heart and is for those who are true chocolate lovers. It’s also meant to be had with a croissant or pastry that you can dip into it.
What You Need
In order to make French hot chocolate, you’ll actually only need a few simple ingredients:
- Good quality dark chocolate (I prefer using 70% cacao dark chocolate)
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Brown sugar
- Powdered sugar
This particular recipe will yield about two large-sized mugs and can always be cut in half or doubled depending on how many people you are serving.
How to Put it All Together
Step 1: Heat Up Your Milk and Cream
You’ll want to get a medium-sized saucepan and pour 1 ½ cups of whole milk and ½ cups of heavy cream on medium heat. Gently whisk it together occasionally until you start to see tiny bubbles appear around the rim, but make sure you don’t bring it to a boil.
Step 2: Mix Your Seasonings
Then, in a separate bowl, mix together about two teaspoons of powdered sugar and brown sugar. Add that into your milk mixture and whisk them together to combine them.
Step 3: Cut Up Your Chocolate
On a cutting board, take your bar of chocolate and break it up so that it is easier to melt. If you want to cut it up into finer pieces to speed up the process, that’s fine, too.
Step 4: Add Your Chocolate
Once you have your cut-up chocolate, take your bubbling saucepan off the heat and add your chocolate to your milk mixture. Stir slowly but consistently until every bit is wholly melted. If you’re having trouble melting your chocolate, you can return your saucepan to low heat to help it along.
Step 5: Assemble and Serve
After everything is totally mixed together, pour your hot chocolate into your mug and serve with some whipped cream and maybe some chocolate shaving. Oh, and don’t forget your croissant!
For my whipped cream, I prefer to make my own, and you can use your leftover ingredients to create. Just toss 1 cup of heavy cream, ½ cup of powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract into a mixer until you see little cream peaks appear.
And then voila! You have the most heavenly hot chocolate to enjoy and share with your friends and family!
Have you seen any of the French hot chocolate TikTok videos? What did you think of this French hot chocolate recipe? Let us know!
Leave a Reply