Homemade Hazelnut Vanilla Hot Cocoa

A perfectly nutty and comforting drink to enjoy on a cold day, homemade hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa is easy to make and enjoy by the whole family. Great after a day outside skating or sitting around a campfire!

Originating in South America, chocolate was first consumed by the Mayan and Aztec cultures, who ground cocoa beans with various other ingredients (such as chili, cornmeal, and vanilla) to create a bitter and spicy beverage that could be consumed either hot or cold. This is possibly the very first incarnation of the drink we enjoy today!

After the Spanish introduced cocoa to Europe, it quickly gained popularity among the population, who began experimenting with various recipes and ingredients to create the sweet hot chocolate drinks we are familiar with today.

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It is a drink easily altered with various ingredients to suit personal preferences and tastes, (as I did with this homemade hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa recipe) and a wonderfully comforting drink to enjoy on a cold day.

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Is it Hot Cocoa or Hot Chocolate

Is it hot cocoa or hot chocolate? Regardless of what you call it this comforting drink has been enjoyed by generations around the world.

Hot cocoa is typically the thinner variation of the drink, usually made with cocoa powder, milk, sugar, and various flavorings. Hot cocoa is what most of us in North America would refer to as hot chocolate, and is nowadays often made by adding hot water to a pre-made powder mixture. The hot cocoa is then topped with marshmallows, whipped cream, and various sweet sauces. These pre-made drink mixes are a far cry from a good quality homemade recipe though, and don't even come close to its rich European version.

Hot chocolate on the other hand is traditionally just that. Melted chocolate thinned out with a little milk. It is a very thick and creamy beverage, popular in Spain, Italy, and Germany as a breakfast beverage. It is most commonly made by melting good quality milk chocolate and sometimes thinning it out (very barely!) with some milk or cream to make it pour-able. Nutella and whipped cream are popular additions to flavor the drink.

Homemade Hazelnut Vanilla Infused Hot Cocoa Instructions

I grew up with my parents making hot cocoa at home with milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. We would always drink it fresh, right after coming in from skating on the lake, shoveling snow, or during the holiday season just for fun! I loved adding Nutella to mine to make it even more chocolaty and add a slightly nutty flavor. I recently thought to myself, why not create a recipe myself which is rich and nutty, yet still somewhat healthy, (ie: no Nutella and added sugar!)?

This recipe for hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa is kind of a mash-up between hot cocoa and hot chocolate. Rich and slightly creamier than true hot cocoa, yet flavored and thinner than European hot chocolate. It is an easy recipe to make at home, especially if you have a basic stocked pantry with items such as milk, sugar, and cocoa powder.

For hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa you'll need:

• 1 ½ cup toasted crushed hazelnuts
• 6 cups milk
• 2 oz bakers chocolate
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ⅔ cup vanilla sugar
• ½ cup warm foamed milk (optional as garnish)

Making The Hazelnut Infused Milk

The first thing we need to do to make hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa is infuse the hazelnut flavor into the milk. If you can get your hands on some roasted whole hazelnuts that's fantastic! Otherwise, simply toast some whole, shelled hazelnuts on a baking sheet in the oven for five or six minutes at 375°F.

Let the nuts cool, and then rub the toasted hazelnuts with a dish cloth to remove the flaky skin. Remove as much as you can because it can be hard to strain out the skin afterward and it makes for an unpleasant mouth feel.

Simmer the toasted nuts in the milk for about 10 minutes, making sure not to boil or burn the milk. This is best done by using a thick-bottomed pot, which helps to prevent scorching. Stirring the milk as it heats also helps prevent the milk solids from settling to the bottom and burning. Once the milk is sufficiently infused with the flavor of hazelnuts, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients.

Hazelnut Vanilla Hot Cocoa

Add the sugar, baker's chocolate, and cocoa powder to the hazelnut milk, and stir until everything is mixed together. The sugar and baker's chocolate will melt, and create a rich chocolaty texture then using just cocoa powder would. Leaving the toasted hazelnuts in the hot cocoa mixture will also help infuse more nut flavor into the drink if you prefer a stronger nut flavor.

This is the easiest part of the recipe, as all you need to do is ensure the baker's chocolate melts and the cocoa powder and sugar are properly dissolved. The easiest way to do this is to use a whisk and periodically stir the milk as the chocolate melts. Once melted, serve the hazelnut vanilla hot cocoa immediately! I love drinking my hot cocoa topped with some warm foamed milk, though whipped cream and marshmallows will easily do in a pinch!

To make your own foamed milk at home simply slightly warm the milk and then foam it using a handheld milk frother.

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Recipe

Homemade Hazelnut Vanilla Hot Cocoa

Chef Markus

A perfectly nutty and comforting drink to enjoy on a cold day, homemade hazelnut hot cocoa is easy to make and enjoyed by the whole family. Great after a day outside skating or sitting around a campfire!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Drink

Cuisine American, Aztec, Canadian, European, Mayan, South American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 718.5 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

1 thick-bottomed saucepan

1 handheld milk frother

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cup toasted crushed hazelnuts
• 6 cups milk
• 2 oz bakers chocolate
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ⅔ cup vanilla sugar
• ½ cup warm foamed milk optional as garnish

Instructions

 

Hazelnut Infused Milk

• If using raw hazelnuts, toast them whole in the oven at 375F for 12 minutes until they start to brown. While hot, rub the nuts in a dish towel to remove the skins. Crush the toasted hazelnuts in a mortar and pestle.
• Simmer the crushed toasted hazelnuts in the milk for 10 minutes. Strain out the hazelnuts or use a high power blender to create a smooth hazelnut milk.

Hazelnut Vanilla Hot Cocoa

• Add the sugar,vanilla, bakers chocolate, and cocoa powder to the hazelnut milk and heat until completely incorporated.
• Serve the hazelnut hot cocoa hot with some warm foamed milk and shaved chocolate as garnish!

Nutrition

Calories: 718.5kcal

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

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