5 Unexpected Ways To Improve A Classic Hot Chocolate

The milky sweetness of a cup of hot chocolate makes it a classic treat for all ages. But there are many ways to take your cup of store bought hot cocoa mix to the next level, resembling something you would see at a high-end coffee shop or on a restaurant dessert menu.

Pastry chef and chocolatier René Bollier — along with his wife — is the co-owner of André's Confiserie Suisse, a third-generation, family owned-and operated Swiss confiserie (French for "confectionery") providing high-quality chocolates to the Kansas City area for over 70 years. Bollier called on his decades of chocolate-making experience to exclusively tell Daily Meal his favorite ways to improve a classic hot chocolate.

The terms are often used interchangeably, but American-style hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa, is thinner and sweeter than the hot chocolates you will find across Europe. Trained in Europe by Swiss chocolate experts, Bollier's hot chocolate tips resemble the European tradition of a thicker, richer drink. 

According to René Bollier: "Drizzling a salted caramel sauce over [hot chocolate] intensifies all the flavors." Plus he says the drink, "should always be topped with a dollop of freshly whipped cream." That swirl of cream doesn't just make your hot chocolate photogenic, it's essential to the overall drink experience. The heat of the hot chocolate will melt the whipped cream into the cup, making for a richer taste and mouthfeel. As the whipped cream melts into your drink, so too will the caramel sauce, uplifting the entire cup with a pleasant salted sweetness.

Caramel sauce is easy to make at home, and will taste much fresher than any store-bought variety. Be sure to avoid the common mistakes people make with caramel sauce, in order to keep the process as easy and smooth as the hot chocolate you're making it for.

Akin to Mexican hot chocolate, René Bollier says, "a four-to-one blend of cinnamon to cayenne in your hot chocolate elevates the cocoa to a whole new level." Cinnamon is a common spice to add to hot chocolate, and the cayenne pepper adds a lasting warmth. Mexican hot chocolate is often served with breakfast on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

For a different flavor profile, Bollier recommends trying a blend of cardamom and nutmeg. "These two spices pair beautifully," he says, with the floral notes of cardamom enhancing nutmeg's nutty sweetness. Nutmeg is another typical spice to add to hot chocolate, but the floral notes of cardamom take it to an unexpected yet delicious new level.

The Swiss-trained René Bollier recommends thickening up your hot chocolate to make it better, not just for mouthfeel but also for flavor — and he's right. "One of the easiest ways to make your cup of cocoa richer and more decadent is by using a 2-to-1 ratio of milk to heavy whipping cream," he tells us. Milk is no stranger to hot chocolate, but the heavy whipping cream both thickens the drink and improves the chocolate taste.

Heavy whipping cream is the answer to anyone who complains of American hot chocolate tasting like chocolate water. "The richness this adds to your hot chocolate makes all the calories worth it," says Bollier. After all, good hot chocolate is supposed to be decadent.

Milk chocolate is a popular choice for hot chocolate, but it's not the only one. Dark chocolate also makes a richly decadent drink, and René Bollier told us that a tiny amount of just one ingredient will change up the entire cup.

"Arrowroot powder is a perfect addition to make your rich, dark chocolate thick and luscious," he says. Arrowroot powder is a flavorless white starch similar to cornstarch that can be difficult to find, but check for it at natural or health food stores, gluten-free sections of grocery stores, or online.

Importantly, adding too much arrowroot powder to dairy-heavy drinks like hot chocolate can leave your drink with a slimy texture, so watch your measurements carefully. "Just an eighth of a teaspoon of powder will turn your hot chocolate into decadent drinking chocolate," says Bollier.

"To intensify the overall experience," René Bollier tells us, "a sprinkle of smoked sea salt will blow your mind." Smoked sea salt is a great way to level up any food that goes well with a smoky flavor — look for it in the spice aisle of your grocery store, or at online retailers (like this highly rated Maldon smoked sea salt).

"The salt amps up all the flavors within your cup [and] balances the sweetness," Bollier says "and the smoke adds depth and complexity." Much like why a bar of milk chocolate with sea salt is so satisfying, adding this pinch elevates every single sip of hot chocolate, while the smokiness provides a sophisticated twist that will equally wow you or any guest.