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This French Hot Chocolate is the only way hot chocolate should be made. Inspired by my favorite hot chocolate from Angelina café in Paris, it is rich, thick, creamy, and sinfully chocolatey. It’s made with only 5 simple ingredients: milk, cream, good quality dark chocolate, and small amounts of coffee and powdered sugar. Unlike traditional hot cocoas which tend to be sweet and milky, this one is luxurious, extra chocolatey, and feels like a warm hug in a mug. And it comes together in just 6 minutes in a saucepan!
Better than the best hot chocolate in Paris
For most of my life, I wasn’t a big fan of Hot Chocolate as it always felt a bit too sweet and watered down. However, on a trip to Paris in 2022, I tried all the popular hot chocolates and the one at Angelina Cafe blew me away. It was rich and thick, almost like a ganache, with a deep chocolatey flavor that was hard for a chocolate lover NOT to love. I think I literally groaned after the first sip.
So, of course, I had to recreate the recipe, and I think this hot chocolate is EVEN BETTER. What makes it special is the use of good quality dark chocolate, the perfect blend of milk and cream, a tiny amount of sugar to give the perfect sweetness, and a hint of coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. It’s wonderful on its own, or with a dollop of whipped cream and a flaky croissant on the side.
And if you’re craving this but it’s warm, check out it’s cold counterpart: my frozen hot chocolate!
How to make it
Now, making this French Hot Chocolate is awfully simple. All you need is milk, heavy cream, espresso powder, powdered sugar, and dark chocolate. You combine the ingredients in a nonstick saucepan, and stir over medium heat until the chocolate has fully melted, there are no lumps, and the mixture starts to simmer.
3 things make the magic
The magic comes down to these three things:
- Use good quality dark chocolate. Because the primary ingredient in this hot chocolate is the chocolate itself, it can only taste as good as the chocolate. I recommend using good quality dark chocolate in the form of bars, wafers or callets (NOT chips), and anywhere between 55-70% cocoa based on your preference. My favorite chocolates to use for this are either Lindt 70% or Ghirardelli 60% chocolate wafers. And if you don’t like dark chocolate.. this recipe might not be for you!
- Don’t skip the espresso powder. It’s subtle, but it really complements the chocolate flavor and makes the whole experience that much better
- Let it be thick! This recipe makes for a thick, luscious hot chocolate. It’s not meant to be gulped down in large quantities, it’s more a dessert you sip and enjoy. So I recommend sticking to these quantities. However, if you really don’t want it to be thick, the good thing is you can easily adjust the consistency by adding more milk
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk (180g)
- 1 cup cream (240g)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar (15g)
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 8 oz good quality dark chocolate (226g); between 55-70% cocoa – chopped, wafers or callets recommended
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan and stir
- Place the pan over medium-low heat, and use a spatula to stir and cook for ~5-7 minutes until the chocolate has fully melted, there are no lumps, and the mixture starts to simmer
- Remove from heat and serve while hot, ideally with some plain whipped cream and a fresh croissant!
Video Tutorial
Notes
- Customization: Once the hot chocolate is made, you can taste and adjust the amount of sweetness by adding more sugar if needed. You can also make it thinner by adding some milk, although I recommend keeping it thick!
- Make ahead and storage: I recommend making and serving this hot chocolate fresh. It gets thicker as it cools down and doesn’t maintain the same texture if reheated. However, if you do end up with extra, keep it covered in the fridge. To reheat, cook again in a saucepan on the stove, and add a small amount of milk to adjust the texture to your liking
Comments
Iris
OMG I’m in love with this recipe! Thank you!
Zoha Malik
AWW thank you!!
Eraj
First of all, hot chocolate at Angeline’s totally RUINED all other hot chocolates for me, for LIFE. Secondly, this recipe HITS the same spot! This hot choc has been the only way I’m getting through this arctic winter we’re having here in Canada. Thank you Zoha, you totally nailed it.
Khadija
Serves how many cups⁷
Zoha Malik
Makes about 4 cups (US measurement, so 1 cup = 8oz)!
Zoha
You have captured my sentiments exactly! Now I am craving this ughhhhh
Ady
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve been trying to find one like this for years to try to get close to the Angelina’s recipe and this felt just like it! It’s delicious, creamy, and so satisfying 😊
Simran
Do you use sweetened chocolate or semi-sweetened?
Tdc
great stuff, used some espresso, but question, Is espresso powder the same as instant espresso?
Zoha
Yes! interchangeable in recipes 🙂
Andrea
Has anyone tried making this and keeping warm in a crockpot?
Ankita N
Came out great and very easy to make.
Zoha
Thank you, Ankita!
Zoha
YAYYY!!!
Guneey
That looks amazing?? The recipe mentions to use espresso powder. I don’t have that, but i have espresso pods for nespresso machine. Can i use brewed espresso coffee? And how much would be the quantity? Or any other substitute?
Zoha
You can add a couple tablespoons of brewed espresso. It will change the consistency a bit but not significantly!
Samara
What cream do you recommend? 35% or can be lower ?
Shahanah
Hello! This is so good, similar to Angelina’s one. Last time I had Angelina’s cold chocolate drink and it was delicious. Do you know if the same recipe can be used to do a cold version or should some items be modified?
Zoha
Hmmm i am not sure, as this might become a bit too thick as it cools down. You might need to add more milk
Shirdha Bhojwani
Hii can we skip espresso powder?
Ronald
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Asma Amer
Hi Zoha!
Can we use Cadbury dairy milk chocolate for this?
Zoha
You can but it might be a bit too sweet! Up to you
Mariam
Just made this with Cadbury and it was so so good!!! Though the cream didn’t completely separate and left a few lumps do you know why that happened? I really love it though
Zoha
Hi Mariam. What do you mean by the cream “didn’t completely separate”?
CC
So rich! Thanks for sharing Zoha
Zoha
<3 you’re welcome
Sushie
I tried this recipe yesterday and came out so good. Just like the original one. Thank you for the recipe zoha. Ha ha ha now I don’t have to go to Paris or New York or order it from Goldbelly. I can make my own Angelina’s special hot chocolate.
Zoha
SO glad you liked this!! It’s def almost exactly as good so why not just make it at home 😉