Making Hot Chocolate- All Milk or Half Milk?
By L. Jenkinson
@MarymargII (12422)
Toronto, Ontario
October 26, 2017 2:24am CST
My mother used to make us hot chocolate from scratch- right from the cocoa powder. It was a luxurious treat that I loved but even now I can't just get it right.
I tried to make it the other morning and well, it just wasn't as delicious as I remember hers. I put a heaping spoon of the cocoa in and then added boiled hot water up to half way and then finished with milk. Oh yes and two teaspoons of sugar even though I don't take sugar in my coffee. I know it has to be sweet or it will taste very bitter.
I had to heat it up in the microwave a bit as it was cooler than I wanted with the addition of the milk. It was okay but not as creamy as it should be. Maybe I should have added hot milk and no water to it but you need to stir the cocoa with a hot liquid to get it to dissolve. Maybe she used to add cream to it to make it taste more rich??? 
I've made it before with just hot milk and stirred it really well and it still didn't turn out as good as hers. I have had hot chocolate from already made up packets before but they're often too sweet.
. I have my eye on some I've seen in the store that looks like a specialty, European hot chocolate.
How do you drink your hot chocolate and do you make yours from scratch?
Pixabay free image
I've made it before with just hot milk and stirred it really well and it still didn't turn out as good as hers. I have had hot chocolate from already made up packets before but they're often too sweet.. I have my eye on some I've seen in the store that looks like a specialty, European hot chocolate.
How do you drink your hot chocolate and do you make yours from scratch?
Pixabay free image15 people like this
20 responses
@JudyEv (326599)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Oct 17
I hope the tips offered help you get it right. I have to come to believe, at least for myself, that some things just don't taste the same as when I was young and I wonder if my memory is playing tricks and I'm imagining food as nicer then than it is now.
6 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80101)
• United States
26 Oct 17
Me too and I wonder if what you say is true. The memories are better than the actual food. I find myself thinking about how much better my grandmothers food was or if it was the love and interaction I had with her while she cooked.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (326599)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Oct 17
@Marilynda1225 I think I read somewhere that our taste buds can change as we age.
2 people like this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
26 Oct 17
@Marilynda1225 Ha! Could be the answer or maybe that was our first experience but as our experiences grew, so did our taste buds and the old good things don't taste as good?
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
28 Oct 17
it could just be down to the brand of chocolate youare using.... but I think I agree with @JudyEv a lot of its down to memories and associations ... 
2 people like this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
28 Oct 17
True but with all the answers and especially one in particular= I think my mother did make it with all milk and stirred a little in at first to mix it or cooked it in a saucepan- I just didn't notice -ha! but yes, a lot of it is early memories and 'discovering' the new taste, I think.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
26 Oct 17
There are two different products, both powdered. "Hot Chocolate" or "Chocolate Powder" has already been processed so that all you need to do is add hot milk (and maybe sugar to taste). "Cocoa Powder", on the other hand, needs cooking, otherwise it has a gritty texture. If you are using cocoa powder you should add it to milk (and sugar) in a saucepan and bring it to the boil, allow it to simmer for a few minutes and then serve.
The creamiest hot chocolate or cocoa is, of course, made with all milk (and whole milk, none of this skimmed or half-and-half stuff!). If you use water, you can expect it to be - well - watery!
2 people like this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
28 Oct 17
Why thank you- I do believe my mother must have done it that way- in the saucepan and of course in those days the milk was still always whole- so that be my answer! I never bothered to pay attention to her methods! ha!
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
29 Oct 17
Ah yes that could be the ingredient I'm remembering- It did always feel good in a comforting way.
@just4him (308409)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Oct 17
@MarymargII I hope your experiment works.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
31 Oct 17
@just4him I've got a good feeling it will- biggest problem? ---- I have to wash that saucepan---hahaha!
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
29 Oct 17
I'm going to try warming it up in a saucepan with milk and add the ingredients slowly and already mixed to see what happens.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
27 Oct 17
If I make it proper like, I use cream on top of the whole milk.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
30 Oct 17
yes that would really cream it up and think that's a super idea- may just try it myself as it would be luxurious- ha!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
31 Oct 17
I make mine on top of the stove. I mix the cocoa powder with the sugar, slowly add just milk and then heat it to boiling. It is yummy.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
1 Nov 17
@MarymargII Nothing is quite as good as the old-fashioned way. I love it and make it often in the winter especially when the grandkids are around.
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
1 Nov 17
That is definitely what was missing. I was adding boiled water to mix it first and then just adding mild and warming it up in the microwave. Going to try that tomorrow. :)
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36578)
• Toccoa, Georgia
27 Oct 17
I would like it with half milk. Lots of times I buy the hot chocolate packs that you add water or milk to.
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@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
30 Oct 17
@LeaPea2417 Should work better with the cocoa anyway!
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@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
29 Oct 17
i think I am going to try to warm it up in a saucepan as was suggested in my responses and use milk- that should do it.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
27 Oct 17
Aha! I should look for that and it may be the answer but find some of the pre-packaged ones too sweet! Love Cadburys though and bet I can't get it in Canada. 
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
28 Oct 17
@MarymargII I use a mix.You can use both I try the water one and did not care for it.
So milk is what I use.
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@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
30 Oct 17
@amadeo Yes that's how I feel- the creamier and the more calories the better---lol!
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
28 Oct 17
Does that mean you add hot milk to your cocoa- don't mix it first with water? Or do you use a mix?
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
1 Nov 17
Well now I get what was wrong after all these suggestions- I was mixing it but not long enough and then just adding warm milk to the cup!
1 person likes this
@goodgirl_kakay (453)
• Philippines
26 Oct 17
i am smelling that right now..just so good. but when i prepare on it took me sometime to sip a cup
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
29 Oct 17
Yes, it can be rich and hot so it's a sipping, warming drink.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
31 Oct 17
@goodgirl_kakay Yes quite delicious and comforting too- great for cold or damp weather.
@moonchild117 (1987)
• Philippines
26 Oct 17
With cocoa powder, what I do is put a little hot water for the cocoa to dissolve. It would look like a thick chocolate syrup. And then gradually add hot milk while stirring so that they all blend together. Sometimes I put a fourth of milk then stir, then another fourth then stir, and so on until the milk and cocoa are mixed well. It takes quite some time though.
But my favorite hot chocolate is the one that my grandmother made using large cacao tablets called "tablea" in our country. She'd boil it in water and mix it with a wooden stick like in the picture, not exactly a spoon but not a whisk either. No milk, just pure chocolate so it's kinda bitter but so delicious.
But my favorite hot chocolate is the one that my grandmother made using large cacao tablets called "tablea" in our country. She'd boil it in water and mix it with a wooden stick like in the picture, not exactly a spoon but not a whisk either. No milk, just pure chocolate so it's kinda bitter but so delicious.1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80101)
• United States
26 Oct 17
I only use the packets of hot chocolate and have never tried it from scratch. I would think heating up the milk might work better than water?
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
26 Oct 17
Yes, I'm thinking Ishould just use the boiling water to mix the cocoa.
@moffittjc (118778)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Oct 17
When I was a child my mother used to make hot cocoa from scratch, and it was just heavenly! I admit that I have no idea how she made it taste so good, but it was delicious nonetheless. I've never been able to recreate that amazing taste in all my adult days since. I'm convinced I have been relegated to drinking instant hot cocoa for the rest of my life! haha
@Hannihar (129671)
• Israel
26 Oct 17
I love hot chocolate. I used to put powder in a cup and warm up milk, but, now, I buy chocolate milk at the store and put some into a pot and heat it up and drink that. It is good.
