Belgian Hot Chocolate

I based my recipe mostly on one from chocolatier David Lebovitz, though as always, I made a few tweaks. His original recipe calls for half-and-half or whole milk, neither of which I had on hand…but I had 1% and heavy cream, so I did a combination of those, and it worked great.

Looking for a sugar-free recipe? Just use sugar-free chocolate! I used both milk and dark varieties from ChocZero in mine, and it was absolutely fabulous. And if you’re short on time and don’t feel like chopping up a chocolate bar, you can use chocolate chips in a pinch. (Don’t tell the chocolatier I said so…no idea if that’s “allowed” by strict Belgian standards, but it worked fine for me!)

Instructions

1. Chop your chocolate.
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2. Combine chocolate with 2 cups of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the chocolate melts.
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3. Add the rest of the milk, the salt, and the cinnamon. Whisk until smooth. If you have trouble getting it smooth, use a hand blender or milk frother.
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4. Enjoy! What you don’t drink now, save for later—it’ll thicken up and get even richer (which is saying something) as it sits. Reheat gently over the stove or for very short intervals in the microwave.