Polar Express Hot Chocolate

Hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars, just like how it is in the holiday classic The Polar Express. This creamy and soul warming hot chocolate is a holiday staple in our household.

The Polar Express, both the book and the movie are holiday favorites for us. Not one holiday season goes by without us reading the book and watching the movie.

My son and I also have the tradition of going to the holiday reading of The Polar Express at our neighborhood Barnes and Nobles. They hand out cookies and hot chocolate to the kiddos and that adds to the experience.

In the book, when it says “ we drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars”, I always imagined it to be a certain way. Same as when I watch the movie.

During the scene with the “Hot Chocolate” song, when they pour out hot chocolate on to the diner style cups with saucers, they splosh back up a little. That makes it look so thick and creamy. 

You all remember the song, right?

“ Hot, Hot! Ooh, we got it!

Hot, Hot! Hey, we got it!

Hot, Hot! Say, we got it!

Hot Chocolate!

Here we’ve got only one rule

Never ever let it cool

Keep it cookin in the pot, 

You’ve got – Hot choc-o-lat!”

So, anyway, in my quest to always make a different kind of hot chocolate, I made this Polar Express Hot Chocolate. It’s because we drink so much of it during this season, that a great variety is always fun.

Our current favorites are

1. Triple Chocolate Hot Chocolate
2. Vegan Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
3. Nutella Hot Chocolate

We love this Polar Express hot chocolate because

• It is thick and creamy!
• No added sugar other than what’s in the chocolate, but you won’t notice it.
• It has just four ingredients
• It is just so much fun to drink it while watching the movie or reading the book.

Ingredients for Polar Express Hot Chocolate

1. Dark Chocolate Bar – use a great quality dark chocolate bar for baking like Guittard or Valrhona. This is the flavor-everything in this drink and you want to make sure it is the best.
2. Cocoa Powder – dutch processed or other cocoa powder would do. I love to use an organic brand just to make sure it is clean.
3. Whipping cream – We use mostly cream and a little whole milk to make this hot chocolate the creamiest.
4. Whole Milk – don’t skimp on this and use a reduced fat milk. My one rule for making any kind of hot chocolate is to make it with whole milk. Hot chocolate is indulgent and you don’t want to trim it.

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To make Polar Express Hot Chocolate

• Melt chopped chocolate over low heat till it is all melted and shiny.
• Add the heavy cream, cocoa powder and milk. Whisk to mix well.
• Keep whisking over medium heat, till it all comes together and it is hot.
• Serve right away with more chopped chocolate sprinkled on top.

Tips for making a great Polar Express Hot Chocolate

• Use a great quality chocolate. Use a chocolate bar if possible. Those get creamier than chocolate chips.
• Use heavy cream to get that creamy and thick texture, which is very important for this hot chocolate. 
• This hot chocolate recipe does not use any sugar or other sweetener. It derives its sweetness from the chocolate and the cream. Which is why it is even more important to use a great quality chocolate.

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