31 hot chocolate recipes

Big-batch homemade hot chocolate mix. Cocoa powder, powdered milk, creamer and sugar whisked together. Store in jars and scoop ⅓ cup per mug for cold-weather sipping.

Beef chili with kidney beans, tomato puree, green chiles and a finishing stir of bittersweet chocolate. Mole-inspired depth from cocoa balances the heat. A 1-hour one-pot weeknight dinner.

Spicy bean cake made with mashed pinto beans, diced apples, raisins, and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add cocoa for a chocolate version.

Authentic Oaxacan mole coloradito with toasted ancho and guajillo chilies, Mexican chocolate, fried plantain, almonds, and sesame seeds. A rich, layered sauce for chicken.

Authentic mole poblano sauce made from scratch with mulato, ancho, pasilla, and chipotle chilies, roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, sesame seeds, and Mexican chocolate. A complex, deeply layered sauce worth every minute.

Italian coffee with chocolate: equal parts strong hot coffee and Italian-style hot chocolate poured together, then crowned with whipped cream. A simplified take on Turin's classic bicerin.

Texas-style sheet cake brownies bake a thin chocolate cake-style brownie in a 9x13 pan, then crown with warm walnut chocolate buttermilk frosting poured over the hot pan. Yields 36 squares.

Cola sheet cake with cola and marshmallows in the batter for a moist chocolate crumb, topped with hot fudge cola icing and chopped nuts. The classic Southern church-supper sheet cake.

Classic three-layer white cake with vanilla and almond extract, topped with rich chocolate frosting. A heritage recipe using egg whites for a pure, snowy crumb.

Custard-based port wine ice cream with grenadine, served under a rich hot chocolate sauce made from cocoa, brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream.

Chocolate snowy cake with a fluffy whipped cream filling between a cocoa sheet cake and a poured chocolate frosting. An eggless cake base with vinegar for lift.

Buttery almond slice-and-bake cookies dipped halfway in melted chocolate and finished with sprinkles. A 5-dozen batch of elegant yet easy cookies that look bakery-bought.

Dark chocolate pecan torte with a fudgy, barely-set center, chopped pecans running through every bite and a glossy chocolate glaze poured over top. Flourless-style richness with just enough flour to hold it together.

Chocolate potato cake made with hot mashed potatoes for an incredibly moist crumb, cocoa, cinnamon, and folded egg whites. Finished with tangy cream cheese frosting.

Lumpies are thick, soft chocolate drop cookies loaded with melted unsweetened chocolate and nuts, topped with a rich mocha frosting made with cocoa and hot coffee.

Rich chocolate sheet cake made with hot coffee and cocoa powder, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. The coffee deepens the chocolate without adding coffee flavor.