White Hot Chocolate

Creamy and rich easy white hot chocolate recipe that isn't cloyingly sweet ready in just a few minutes with a handful of ingredients. It will surely keep you nice and warm as you snuggle in on a cold day!

Why it works

Most white hot chocolate recipes have a reputation of being cloyingly sweet and lacking any depth. This is not the case at all here.

This cozy, creamy white hot chocolate is made with high quality white chocolate and also balances the sweetness of the chocolate so it is pleasant and not overbearing. It is an incredibly easy recipe that requires only a handful of ingredients you can make any time you are looking for something comforting and warming during the winter season. It is a delicious drink for anyone with a sweet tooth and not just white chocolate fans. 

A touch of vanilla to amplifies the flavors within the white chocolate. A tiny pinch of salt enhances everything - and further tempers the sweetness of the chocolate.

It creates the perfect canvas and makes for a fun way to incorporate any other flavors you enjoy

Ingredients

White hot chocolate requires only a few simple ingredients, a lot of them are kitchen staples you probably already have now. You can find the full list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below. 

• White chocolate - Okay, so this is important. You must use high quality white chocolate here. Not the white chocolate chips either if you can help it. We want a nice bar of white chocolate.
• Heavy cream - A bit of richness helps to infuse the flavors of the white chocolate, and make it easier to melt whether you are using the stovetop or the microwave. It also adds thickness and body to your drink so it isn't overly liquidy
• Milk - I always like using whole milk for hot chocolate, but you can use any kind of milk that you enjoy such as almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk
• Vanilla - Vanilla amplifies the flavor of the white chocolate. You can use extract, or go fancy with vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste. 
• Salt - To keep the white chocolate from being too sweet and to enhance the flavors, a small pinch of salt goes a long way.

How to make - 3 ways

There are a couple of different ways you can make white hot chocolate. The microwave, the stove, and the slow cooker if you are making a larger batch for a crowd.

My personal favorite way is the microwave because it is quick and there are fewer dishes to wash afterward. I'll give a brief overview of each one.

• Microwave: Add the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe mug. Heat for a few seconds, then stir to melt the chocolate. Add remaining ingredients, then microwave again until steaming hot.
• Stovetop: Add the cream and white chocolate to a small saucepan. Warm on medium-low heat, stirring to melt the chocolate. Add the remaining ingredients, then stir until steaming hot. Serve in a mug.
• Slow cooker: Add all ingredients (multiplied to serve at least 6 - 8) to the slow cooker, and heat on low for about 30 minutes. Stir well to melt the chocolate, heat for an additional 30 minutes, or as needed until it is steaming hot. Serve in mugs. Keep the slow cooker set to warm while people are still enjoying it. 

Why I use cream

There is a good reason I use cream in my homemade white hot chocolate.

Cream has a high fat content and lower water content, making it perfect for the chocolate to incorporate into and give it a buffer from the direct heat of your saucepan or microwave and mug.

Chocolate has a stable balance of fat and sugar. Water interacts differently with each. Fat and water do not like to interact and prefer to separate (think oil sitting on top off water), while water and sugar love to interact. Water makes sugar want to clump together, while making the fat want to get as far away as possible. This creates separation and clumping in the chocolate (aka, it seizes).

You can of course create an inverted emulsion with the chocolate by adding more water, but we don't want a watery hot chocolate. Hot chocolate should be rich, thick and creamy.

So, we start by introducing a liquid with a higher fat content.

White chocolate benefits greatly with having a fat paired with it when melting because it is more prone to seizing and burning compared to all other types of chocolate. The last thing we want to have to deal with is burnt chocolate when we are making hot chocolate.

Tips

Heat the chocolate and the cream just until it starts to get very warm and nearly steamy. Stir it well to finish melting the chocolate, then add the remaining milk.

You can make yourself a white chocolate ganache and store it so you can add what you want to make hot chocolate in the future. The chocolate and cream we heat is basically like making a quick ganache, so this is something you can do in big batches and grab when you want to make another white hot chocolate. It is almost like your own white hot chocolate mix.

You can keep the ganache in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for about 3 - 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you are ready to make a mug, take out about ¼ cup of the ganache and add it to hot milk and stir.

Variations

There are so many delicious ways to change up your mug of white hot chocolate. 

• Add a few drops of peppermint extract or use a little candy cane as a stirrer for a fun wintery experience
• Mix in some instant espresso for a delicious white mocha flavor, or you can use your favorite white chocolate mocha sauce
• Create the ultimate chocolaty experience by adding in a touch of cocoa powder or hot cocoa mix
• Add a fruity touch by adding a bit of jam or sprinkle powdered freeze dried fruit on top of the whipped cream

Storage and batch making

You can store any left over hot white chocolate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Gently reheat it using the microwave or stovetop.

The best part about this recipe is that you can multiply the recipe as much as you need to serve a crowd.

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