Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Chips

You only need two ingredients to make this easy hot chocolate: milk and chocolate chips.

Creamy hot chocolate is always a treat. This recipe is as easy to make as opening a packet of powdered hot cocoa mix. But the taste is so much better! Simply combine milk and chocolate chips in a pan and heat until the chocolate chips melt. If you want to add flavors, go for this. This recipe is very flexible.

Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Chips: Ingredients

Milk. Any type of milk works in this recipe. For a rich flavor, use a milk (either traditional or dairy-free) that contains some fat. And, if you happen to have either cream or half and half in the house, add a splash to bump up the richness if you feel like it. 

Chocolate Chips. Dark chocolate chips make the best tasting hot chocolate. Why not use milk chocolate? You can but since we’re melting the chocolate in milk, you don’t need milk in the chips. The more chocolate flavor you have in the chips, the better the hot chocolate tastes. I love Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao chips. 

Other Optional Ingredients

• Vanilla. A little vanilla extract adds a creaminess to hot chocolate. It’s one of my favorite additions.
• Cinnamon. If you want to add some depth to your hot chocolate without making it taste like cinnamon, add a whisper (a pinch) of cinnamon. You won’t really taste it but it brings out the flavors in the chocolate and adds some warm notes. If you want a cinnamon hot chocolate, add about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the milk as you warm it. 
• Salt. A pinch of salt enhances the flavor of the chocolate. But you really only need a pinch.