Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate) Recipe

Name: For Memorable Hot Chocolate, Make It The Italian Way
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 cups whole milk, plus more as needed; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 3 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped

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Cioccolato Caldo con Latte (Italian Hot Chocolate) in a small white mug with a spoon — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

When I was 11, my family spent a month living in a friend's small, partly-under-construction villa in Tuscany. We spent our time driving through fields of upturned sunflowers, seeing the sights in nearby towns and cities, and eating every kind of pasta we could find. But my strongest food memory from that trip remains my introduction to cioccolata calda—Italian hot chocolate.

When my mom set it down in front of me in a small, quiet café in the hilltop town of Trequanda, I didn’t know what to make of it. The chocolate was glossy and dark brown and so thick that it looked more like a pudding than a drink. I wasn’t even sure how to drink it and started to ask for a spoon to scoop it up.

But my mom quickly ducked into the café and returned with a carafe of hot milk, which she poured into my cup to thin the chocolate enough to sip. The result was still heavenly—flavorful and decadent.

More than 30 years later, I revisited that chocolaty treat as a holiday treat for my own daughter. The first time I made it, her eyes opened wide with surprise (as I imagine mine did all those years ago) and she instinctually grabbed a spoon and began slurping up a mouthful.

Two mugs of Cioccolato Caldo con Latte (Italian Hot Chocolate) in small white mugs with biscotti — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

What Makes Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate) Special

Italian hot chocolate is defined as much by its texture as its flavor. It is usually made with a thickening agent, like cornstarch (which is the same ingredient used to set pudding). I have also seen some recipes that skip the starch and call for lots and lots of melted chocolate, which, on its own, also thickens a bit as it cools.

The version I had as a kid almost certainly had cornstarch in it, so I use that here, but I also add melted chocolate. The result is probably richer than the drink that I had back then, but it’s delicious—special enough to live up to my (possibly overblown) memory of that Italian hot chocolate.

My Mom’s “Con Latte” Trick

Not all Italian hot chocolate is as thick as the version I first had as a kid, but if you’re making it at home, it’s easy to accidentally keep the mixture on the stove for a second too long and end up with hot pudding. If you do, just copy my mom and stir in some extra hot milk; the result is just as delicious as ever.

Cioccolato Caldo con Latte (Italian Hot Chocolate) in a small white mug with whipped cream on top — Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

Variations on Hot Chocolate

Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate)

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 17 mins

Servings 4 servings

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Combine the cocoa powder and cornstarch:

Whisk together the cocoa powder and cornstarch in a medium bowl until well-mixed.
Heat the milk and sugar:

Add the milk and the sugar to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the milk just starts to steam (roughly 160°F), 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the milk:

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour a little of the hot milk into the cocoa-cornstarch mixture, whisking until you have a uniform paste. Slowly pour the rest of the milk in, bit by bit, whisking constantly to keep the mixture uniform.

Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl, make sure it’s submerged, and let it sit until it melts, about 1 minute. Whisk it into the mixture.
Return to the heat:

Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture just starts to bubble, about 3 minutes (this will start to activate the cornstarch). Continue cooking, whisking constantly (especially around the bubbling edges), until the mixture has thickened slightly—the bubbles will suddenly look much bigger and thicker.

Turn off the heat, but continue whisking for another minute as the residual heat helps the mixture continue to thicken.
Serve:

Divide the hot chocolate between 4 small mugs. Serve as is or—if the chocolate has thickened significantly—use a microwave or the steam wand of an espresso machine to heat another 1/2 cup milk until it’s lukewarm, then stir as much milk as desired into each mug to thin the hot chocolate to your preferred consistency.

In the unlikely event that you have any leftover, refrigerate it with a piece of plastic wrap pressed onto the top so that it doesn’t develop a film. You can enjoy it as a cold pudding or, if you want to reheat it, whisk in enough milk to make the mixture fluid again then reheat it in the microwave in 20 to 30-second intervals, making sure it doesn’t become so hot that it starts to bubble over.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
286	Calories
14g	Fat
35g	Carbs
7g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	286
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g	17%
Saturated Fat 7g	37%
Cholesterol 13mg	4%
Sodium 57mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 35g	13%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 154mg	12%
Iron 4mg	24%
Potassium 313mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.