LIFE'S TOO SHORT NOT TO HAVE THE BEST!

And that's precisely why we've put together our best tricks and key pointers to enable you to create the perfect homemade hot chocolate. Recreate those blissfully indulgent moments whenever you fancy. Whether it be after a long day, a cold day or simply 'just because', prepare to have your sweet cravings satisfied with our top tips for creating luxurious hot chocolate to indulge your senses.

CHOOSE THE HOT CHOCOLATE - THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!

Keep the cocoa powder in the cupboard, because you won't need it here. We're here to delve deep into the decadent world of the best hot chocolate you'll ever taste! Whether you love dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white, here's the chocolate to use to make the best homemade hot chocolate ever!

Hot chocolate spoons are ideal for a single serving of hot chocolate. Kids love them as they can make the hot chocolate themselves, and then lick the spoon clean afterwards! Choose from a variety of flavours or dairy-free options from our range of vegan hot chocolate spoons to create your perfect hot chocolate at home.

Alternatively, bring something new and exciting to your hot chocolate routine and treat yourself and all the family with our Hot Chocolate Bombs. These Belgian chocolate bombs melt when hot milk is poured over them, so enjoy the display together and watch with anticipation as the mini marshmallows hidden within suddenly pop out of the chocolate shell! And for a dairy-free display, discover our Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombes which combine beautifully with nut and plant-based milk alternatives. Don't forget the whipped cream for this mug of hot chocolate - we promise it tastes amazing!

 If you love nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa in the evenings with a delicious hot chocolate that's created exactly to your taste, then our Hot Chocolate Flakes are perfect for helping you wind down. These are just as handy to have in the house as cocoa powder, but made with real chocolate chips/ shavings! Don't worry, we'll tell you how to make hot chocolate with our flakes below.

HOW TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE

Making hot chocolate is an exciting time, and that excitement starts with the ingredients. The ingredients you choose now will make all the difference to how satisfied you are later!

HOT CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS

• Your chosen hot chocolate (more on this in a bit)
• Whipped cream (because you might as well really treat yourself!)
• Vanilla extract (if you fancy trying something a little different)
• Milk (you can use full-fat milk, soy milk, almond milk, whatever you like)
• Hot water

Now we’re going to provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to make hot chocolate with our bombs, spoons and flakes 

THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE USING OUR HOT CHOCOLATE BOMBS

Making hot chocolate with our hot chocolate bombs couldn't be easier! For the vegans among us, we do have vegan hot chocolate bombs and you can use any milk alternatives that you like. For something a bit special, though, you could use vanilla soy milk to add a subtle, yet, delicious flavour to this amazing recipe of goodness! Anyway, here’s how to make hot chocolate using our hot chocolate bombs:

• Heat up your milk (we’d suggest using the hob, but you can heat it in the microwave)
• Place your hot chocolate bomb in your favourite mug 
• Watch as the warm milk melts the delicious chocolate
• Once you see the mini marshmallows popping up, give it a stir.
• Serve with your favourite toppings, we love whipped cream and our chocolate covered honeycomb

 HOT CHOCOLATE THAT'LL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF USING COCOBA HOT CHOCOLATE SPOONS

Making hot chocolate with our hot chocolate spoons is just as simple, here’s how: 

• Heat your milk over a medium heat on the hob
• Fill your favourite mug with the warm milk
• Place your hot chocolate spoon in the mug
• Start stirring and don’t stop until you drop, or the spoon is clean!

In no time, you’ll be enjoying delicious hot chocolate. Don’t forget to lick the spoon clean, add some whipped cream and then get stuck in!

HOW TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE USING COCOBA CHOCOLATE FLAKES

Guess what? Our chocolate flakes are also super easy to use, anyone would think we’d made them that way! Here’s how to use our chocolate flakes to make one of the best hot chocolates you’ll ever taste:

• Stick a medium-sized saucepan on the hob with your milk and heat it over a medium heat
• Add 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate flakes to your favourite mug
• Pour in a splash of hot water (just enough to cover them)
• Give this a stir to create a thick, chocolatey paste (don’t eat this, you’ll ruin your hot chocolate)
• Grab your milk, pour it over the top of the chocolate paste, give it a stir and it’s ready for toppings!

We’d add whipped cream and some crushed nuts, perhaps. Adding a cinnamon stick and candy canes will really get you in the festive spirit, or add an entire chocolate bar to really really indulge!  Add any toppings that make you happy, as that’s what this is all about!

OUR RULES FOR THE PERFECT HOT CHOCOLATE

We aren't a stickler for the rules, but do have a few that can make your hot chocolate more velvety and mouthwateringly delightful!

USE MILK NOT WATER TO MAKE YOUR HOT COCOA

As with all our scrumptious hot chocolate products, milk is essential for making the best hot chocolates from home. And yes, we do mean milk. Animal and plant milks are great, but we don't recommend using water as the results simply won't be as good! We're aiming for 5 stars here, and hot chocolate without milk just doesn't cut it.

At the Cocoba Café, we use whole milk (unless the customer asks otherwise), for a rich and creamy hot chocolate. At home you can choose any type of milk, including coconut milk, oat milk, almond milk, lactose-free milk, soy milk etc; these work just as well to combine with the premium Belgian chocolate that we use to create our delicious bombes and spoons.

COCOA POWDER ISN'T THE WAY

Many swear by using unsweetened cocoa powder to make homemade hot chocolate, but we urge you to give real hot chocolate a try. All of the really easy-to-make hot chocolate recipes above are absolutely delicious and are sure to be hit with any hot chocolate lover! We have loads of options for you too! A beautifully dark chocolate, milk chocolate and even a dreamy white chocolate. So, whether you like a bittersweet chocolate drink, a semi-sweet chocolate creation, super sweet or half and half, we have a hot chocolate for you!

MAKING HOT CHOCOLATE AT HOME USING A MILK FROTHER

While your drinking chocolate is going to taste tasty and delicious just by heating your milk on the hob, you could also use a milk frother. We'd recommend using the Dualit Milk Frother. The Dualit technology will enable you to warm your milk to the perfect drinking temperature in a couple of minutes with just the click of a button! We've included the Dualit Milk Frother in our luxury Hot Chocolate Set.

HOW TO HEAT YOUR MILK

As we said above, we'd recommend heating up your milk on the hob. Just grab a medium saucepan, place it over a medium heat and pour in enough milk for your hot chocolate and anyone else's that can resist the chocolatey urge. It's best to continue warming the milk through until it is steaming hot, but not boiling, turning the heat down to a medium-low heat halfway through so it doesn't burn. Keep stirring regularly as you heat the milk up, and once you start seeing steam, it is ready to pour over your hot cocoa. If you use a microwave to heat your milk, remember to stir it well afterwards to distribute the heat.

If you have a hot chocolate bombe or flakes, put these in the mug first, and then pour the steaming milk over. If you are using the hot chocolate spoons, pour the steaming milk into a mug first, and then add the spoon. Be sure not to add too much milk otherwise, it will overflow when the spoon is added! 

Stir well, so that all the chocolate is melted (and be careful when you drink it that it's not too hot). Add your favourite hot chocolate toppings - some whipped cream, some maple syrup perhaps, and enjoy!

DRINK FROM YOUR FAVOURITE HOT CHOCOLATE MUG

When it comes to hot chocolate, everyone should have a favourite mug. So, we decided to create our 'I'm a Mug for Hot Chocolate' mug especially for our fellow hot chocolate lovers!

This mug is made-to-measure to fit our hot chocolate bombes perfectly, so you needn't worry about the milk overflowing as you pour the milk over the top of a bombe ever again.

You can even make this your 'me time' mug, keeping it reserved especially for the times when you're craving the uplifting experience of a beautiful Belgian hot chocolate!

REHEATING HOT CHOCOLATE

One of the best parts about hot chocolate is that the fun never has to end. If you don't finish your homemade hot cocoa and can't sleep knowing you missed out on all the sweet, sweet goodness, you can place your leftover hot chocolate in a saucepan and reheat it repeating the methods you used above to heat your milk.

So, that's how you can make the best hot chocolate at home with some of the finest and tastiest hot chocolate from Cocoba's hot chocolate collection. It's a far cry from the sugar and cocoa powder of yesteryear, but is sure to bring a smile to everyone's face! For some additional fun with your melted chocolate sensation, why not try some creative toppings? You could add some chopped chocolate, a chocolate or salted caramel sauce, and small bites of chocolate covered honeycomb, or chocolate covered peanuts for some additional crunch!