Two homemade hot chocolate recipes

Growing up, a steaming mug of hot chocolate after school on a cold winter day was truly a treat. I loved when my mom would buy the kind that had the little marshmallows in the powder mix.

Now that we have access to Pinterest and the wealth of recipes available on the web, I’ve taken to making hot chocolate from scratch, and I won’t be going back to pre-made mixes anytime soon.

Here are two recipes for homemade hot chocolate: the standard milk chocolate variety and white chocolate with caramel. Celebrate winter and Valentine’s Day by making one, or both! Enjoy!

How to make homemade hot chocolate

Making a homemade batch of hot chocolate on the stove isn’t much more difficult than heating water in a kettle or milk in a microwave and stirring in hot chocolate mix.

Check out how to make homemade hot chocolate here. All you need is milk, half-and-half and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Whipped topping and marshmallows are optional!

How to make slow cooker homemade caramel white hot chocolate

I love all chocolate. Milk, dark, white, if it’s around, I’ll eat it. I found this slow cooker caramel white hot chocolate recipe over the holidays from Passion for Savings. It seemed wintry and Christmas-y enough, so I gave it a shot.

Disclaimer: This recipe is very sweet. If you love sweet drinks, this won’t be a problem. If you like your hot chocolate mild, you may want to consider using less caramel and even cutting out the marshmallows.

Making hot chocolate in the slow cooker takes a lot longer than on the stovetop, but it’s so worth it.

What you’ll need

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Two 4 oz. premium white chocolate baking bars
• 4 cups 2 percent or whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• Mini marshmallows (optional)

You’ll also need:

• 1-quart slow cooker (larger is ok)
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Ladle

How to make homemade caramel white hot chocolate

Turn your slow cooker on low.

Pour 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons caramel sauce into your slow cooker. Stir. Break up the white chocolate baking bars and add the pieces to the slow cooker. Stir.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and periodically check on it every 20-30 minutes or so, stirring the liquid. Keep doing this for about 4 hours. By that time, the white chocolate should be melted. Stir well again.

Serve hot, of course! Ladle into mugs. You can add mini marshmallow to each mug, as well as a little extra caramel sauce if you want your hot chocolate extra sweet.

Caramel white hot chocolate

Prep time: less than 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: about 4 hours
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• Two 4 oz. premium white chocolate baking bars
• 4 cups 2 percent milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• Mini marshmallows (optional)

1. Turn a 1-quart slow cooker on low.
2. Add milk, vanilla extract and caramel sauce to slow cooker. Stir.
3. Break up the white chocolate baking bars and add to slow cooker. Stir.
4. Cover.
5. Stir every 20-30 minutes for about 4 hours until white chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Serve hot. Top off each mug with marshmallows and additional caramel sauce, if desired.

Have you made either of these recipes? Tell us what you think in the comments below.