French Hot Chocolate Recipe | Chocolat Chaud
Warm up the rainy and cold winter days with a homemade cup of French hot chocolate. This recipe is delicious, creamy, and rich. It is made with 70% dark chocolate so the sweetness of the French hot chocolate can be adjusted to your taste.
I crave nothing more than a French Hot Chocolate when the weather outside is cold and rainy. There is just something so cozy about snuggling up by the fireplace with a mug of velvety french hot chocolate in your hands. This is an indulgent treat that we often look forward to during the winter on special occasions (especially around the holidays – after Advent or on Sundays, of course).
I love recreating dishes I try around the world and this is an easy recipe from France to try for yourself!
What Makes French Hot Chocolate Different?
This classic French treat is famous for being thick and rich with a huge emphasis on the chocolate itself. It is silky and smooth with a beautiful shine to it. Traditionally, it is eaten at “gouter” (the 4pm snack time when children come home from school) with a flaky croissant. You can often find chocolate chaud in any Parisian cafe especially on a cold winter day.
I’m not here to bash the beloved instant packet hot chocolate I grew up with in the US because it did hold a special place in my heart.
It was a rare treat for my siblings and I so it was much appreciated each time we were able to have some.
But unlike French hot chocolate, I was used to a water-based milk chocolate drink usually served in a styrofoam cup for some reason.
I remember even paying $0.50 for a cup of instant hot chocolate at a school fundraiser once ($1.00 if you wanted to add whipped cream from a can).
So imagine my surprise when I first tasted the French hot chocolate. My husband (fiancee at the time) and I were walking down from Sacré Cœur Basilica on a cold day in January.
We were in the Place Du Tertre at Montmarte walking by all the street artists in that square. Across the square, I saw a local bakery with French hot chocolate being stirred in a machine atop their glass display.
I immediately bee-lined there and ordered one. It was as delicious and decadent as I imaged it to be. The hot chocolate was creamy, silky, and rich. It was my first time ever tasting hot cocoa with that velvety texture.
I personally love dark chocolate so this was right up my alley. Regular hot chocolate from the US, I find, is usually made with milk chocolate. I think it is a drink that would perfectly fulfill any chocolate craving.
Parisian Hot Chocolate
Since then we’ve tried a cup of hot chocolate from famous cafes around Paris including Angelina’s and Laduree. Each have their own take on the drink and they all have a unique rich flavor.
I would say that my favorite one so far is from Angelina’s. Not yo toot my own horn but I think this recipe comes pretty close! Although, I’ll admit they have the upper hand from whatever chocolate they’re sourcing to make it with. You can tell that they are using very high-quality dark chocolate.
What’s the Best Chocolate to Use? Does it Matter?
We’ve tried this recipe with many different top-quality chocolate brands such as Ghirardelli and Lindts. Although they all still would work just fine, nothing compares to using a high quality French chocolate bar.
Just saying that made me feel like one of my favorite Food Network chef growing up, Ina Garten – iykyk.
I promise you, I wouldn’t recommend you spending more if it wasn’t necessary. I’m all about saving a few bucks here and there too. However, since this drink is really dependent on the chocolate used, I think it’s worth investing a bit in good dark chocolate bars, especially if you’ll be serving it to guests.
In particular, our favorite one to use is the Nestle Dessert Bar Noir Absolu (70% dark version). We find that it is an excellent chocolate for most chocolate dessert dishes. You can find it here.
If you have a hard time getting that, we’ve found that Tony’s Chocoloney’s dark chocolate bar works just as well! It’s the next best thing if you have trouble sourcing the Nestle Dessert bar. I’ve been able to find single bars of Tony’s at Whole Foods Market and online here.
Difference between French Chocolate and American Chocolate
From my own research, compared to American chocolate bars, French chocolate bars have higher ratios of cocoa butter than those in the US and less sugar overall. The different ratios of sugar and cocoa butter used makes a huge difference in the taste, smoothness, and mouthfeel of the hot chocolate.
Because of the higher percentage of cocoa butter used, the outcome is a creamier chocolate and thus a more rich french hot chocolate overall. I also find that American chocolate bars do not melt as smoothly as French chocolate bars do and so resulted in specks of chocolate throughout the drink that wouldn’t completely melt away.
I googled why that is and it has something to do with the “conching process”. This is where the chocolate goes through a mixing, heating, and grinding process that breaks the ingredients down even further to create the ideal texture, smoothness, and look. French chocolate goes through a slower and longer conching process, which results in a creamier chocolate when melted thus giving a very smooth and silky texture.
Again, in a pinch, any good quality chocolate bar would work. However, for this recipe, the chocolate used really matters and really makes all the difference. This is one of the rare times I suggest you be a chocolate snob.
How to Make French Hot Chocolate
French Hot Chocolate (Chocolat Chaud) Recipe Card
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 7 oz (205g) of dark chocolate 70%
- 1/2 tsp of espresso powder (optional but adds a layer of complexity to the flavor)
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add the milk, cream, espresso powder, and vanilla extract to a heavy bottom saucepan
- Bring that mixture over medium-low heat to a slow simmer (but not boiling) for 3 minutes
- Once the milk thickens a bit, turn the heat to low, mix in cocoa powder and chopped chocolate
- Continue stirring over low heat until the chocolate melts
- Once the chocolate has melted through and is smooth and silky, add in the brown sugar and a pinch of salt
- Continue stirring over low heat until the desired consistency is reached
- Taste and adjust sugar levels to your preference
- Ladle into a nice mug et voila ! Le chocolat chaud !
Tools Needed
Not much at all! It really is a simple recipe
- Small heavy bottom saucepan
- Whisk – my favorites are the more narrow ones as opposed to the ballon whisks
Hot Chocolate Tips
- Chop up your own chocolate bar since chocolate chips have stabilizers that would interfere with the taste and texture.
- Cut the chocolate into pieces small enough that they melt quickly and evenly
- Do not burn the chocolate! Keep the heat low and do not let the mixture get to more than a low simmer.
- You want to turn the heat off just right before you get to the desired consistency. The hot chocolate will continue to thicken as it cools down.
- From my husband who grew up in France: “If you want the experience of a French kid, dip a croissant or a toast into your hot chocolate”.
French Hot Chocolate Q&A
French Hot Chocolate (Chocolat Chaud) Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Medium heavy bottom saucepan
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 7 oz 205g of dark chocolate 70%
- 1/2 tsp of espresso powder optional but adds a layer of complexity to the flavor
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add the milk, cream, espresso powder, and vanilla extract to a heavy bottom saucepan
- Bring that mixture over low-medium heat to a slow simmer (but not boiling) for 3 minutes
- Once the milk thickens a bit, turn the heat to low, mix in cocoa powder and chopped chocolate
- Continue stirring over low heat
- Once the chocolate has melted through and is smooth and silky, add in the brown sugar and a pinch of salt
- Continue stirring over low heat until the desired consistency is reached
- Taste and adjust sugar levels to your preference
- Ladle into a nice mug and enjoy!
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