Hot cocoa warms hands and hearts, and is the perfect cozy beverage all winter long. And with Hershey staples you have at home, you can make café-worthy hot chocolate in eight unique, flavorful ways.
Hershey’s Classic “Perfectly Chocolate” Hot Cocoa Recipe
We’ve perfected our hot chocolate for just the right amount of sweetness, richness and creaminess. The result is a recipe that has become a tradition for generations. Once you've mastered this cocoa, it can serve as the base for our many variations in this blog! Makes about six 6-ounce servings.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
- salt
- 4 cups milk (1 qt)
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup water
How to make it:
- Mix sugar, HERSHEY’S Cocoa and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Stir in water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
- Add milk; stir and heat until hot. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
- Beat with whisk until foamy.
Perfect topping: Marshmallows
Pairs well with: HERSHEY’S Classic Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Ways to Make Hot Chocolate
The beauty of hot chocolate is that it pairs nicely with a variety of other flavors. Every mug you make is a moment for a little magic. We’ve gathered some of our best hot cocoa recipes. Just use our classic recipe as a base and see where your taste buds take you!
Mexican Spiced Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
Though we think of hot chocolate as a simple chocolate drink, hot cocoa originates from Mayan and Aztec cultures where it was enjoyed with a little bit of spice. To give your hot cocoa a kick and depth of flavor, add 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon chipotle or chili powder. Trust us — it will be a memorable mug to enjoy!
- How to make it: Add 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon chipotle or chili powder to our classic hot chocolate recipe.
- Perfect topping: Cinnamon stick
- Pairs well with: Cinnamon Chip Apple Turnovers
Hot Cocoa Mocha
Whip up this afternoon pick-me-up at home when you don’t have time to swing by your favorite café. You might just end up loving your concoction even better! Just substitute half the milk in the classic recipe above with a hot coffee of your choice, then top with whipped cream and a drizzle of HERSHEY’S Chocolate Syrup.
- How to make it: Substitute half the milk in the classic recipe above with a hot coffee of your choice, then top with whipped cream and a drizzle of HERSHEY’S Chocolate Syrup.
- Perfect topping: Chocolate drizzle
- Pairs well with: HERSHEY'S Espresso Cream Eclairs
