Blackberry Hot Chocolate

Blackberry Hot Chocolate is dark, mysterious, intense & fun. This homemade hot chocolate recipe is made with real blackberries, dark chocolate & milk. It's perfect for snuggling up with in winter.

I'm way off the beaten track today. In fact, I'm so far off it you would be forgiven for thinking that I must have accidentally stumbled into the bleakest, remotest part of the UK imaginable, in a storm, and that I've agreed to camp there for a week.

But bear with me. For those of you willing to take part in a little chocolate adventure, I have a treat to reward you with. This homemade hot chocolate recipe is like no other. 

Chocolate and blackberries are a well known and successful union of flavours. Only a few people would dispute that it is a winning combination. But it’s one that is relatively overlooked in the world of Hot Chocolate. Of all the flavours offered up in syrup form to drizzle into our fix of liquid cocoa, not many fruits actually make the list.

My curiosity was piqued a few weeks back when I came across a recipe for raspberry flavoured white hot chocolate on Sugar Hero. That got me thinking about other fruity combinations that could mix - snuggly - with hot chocolate and it wasn’t long before the idea of pairing blackberries and dark chocolate hit me.

This chocolate drink is dark, intense and fun with an air of mystery about it.

Ingredients for Blackberry Hot Chocolate

This homemade hot chocolate recipe relies on whole ingredients rather than a ready-made flavoured syrup. It's a mix of:

• real blackberries
• sugar
• dark chocolate
• milk
• vanilla extract

How to Make this Homemade Hot Chocolate

Essentially, there are 3 steps to making this drink:

1. Make the blackberry coulis: cook the blackberries with some powdered sugar and a splash of water until soft, then push through a sieve to remove the seeds
2. Make the hot chocolate by heating the milk until scalding then pouring over chopped chocolate. Next, add vanilla extract and some coulis and whizz everything together in a blender until frothy
3. Garnish: I like to go to town on this decadent drink and serve it with a swirl of whipped cream, a drizzle of that punchy coulis, some mini marshmallows and a blackberry

Regarding step 2, I like to whizz my drink up in a blender to create lots of bubbles and a luxurious frothy top. Of course, if you don't have a blender it's ok to perform step 2 just in a pan - add the chocolate and beat until smooth, then add the other ingredients. it may not be quite so bubbly at the end but will still taste fantastic.

What does this Drink Taste Like?

The best way I can describe this fruity hot chocolate is to think of it as a glass of sturdy red wine with tasting notes mentioning bramble hedges and berries. What you will taste in such a wine are hints of these flavours mingled in with the unmistakable, joyful flavour that you know is red wine.

Delectable.

In a similar way, the fruity flavour in this chocolate drink is subtle, but it’s there. The main flavour is most definitely dark chocolate but with a hint of tart, tangy, vibrant blackberries. And just like a good red wine, the flavour will linger... for quite some time.

Tasting notes aside, I’m also a fan of the presentation of this hot chocolate. That flourish of blackberry coulis drizzled over the whipped cream adds a vivacious splash of colour.

Try my other Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipes:

• Coconut Matcha White Hot Chocolate
• Salted Honey Hot Chocolate
• Caramelised White Hot Chocolate Drink
• Chai Spiced White Hot Chocolate
• Healthy Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
• Candy Cane Hot Chocolate with Popping Candy

Blackberry Hot Chocolate

Jane Saunders

Blackberry Hot Chocolate is dark, mysterious, intense & fun. Made with real blackberries, dark chocolate & milk – it’s perfect for snuggling up with in winter.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drink, Non-alcoholic Drink

Cuisine: Worldwide

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 407kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 200 g/ 7oz blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• ▢ 3 tablespoon icing (confectionary) sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water (if using fresh blackberries)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 720 ml/ 3 cups whole milk (or non-dairy equivalent)
• ▢ 120 g/ 4 ¼oz dark chocolate

Optional Garnish (recommended)

• ▢ Whipped cream
• ▢ Mini marshmallows
• ▢ Extra blackberries

Instructions

• If using frozen blackberries allow to defrost in a small saucepan for 30 minutes. Once softened add the icing sugar and cook, on a moderate heat, for around 5 minutes until the blackberries are soft and squishy
• If using fresh blackberries, cook as above with the icing sugar and a tablespoon of water
• Push the cooked blackberries and juices through a sieve to create a coulis. Scrape the thick pulp from the outside of the sieve into the coulis as you go. Discard the seeds
• Heat the milk until scalding
• Meanwhile chop the chocolate and drop into the base of a blender, along with the vanilla extract
• Pour the hot milk over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 1 minute
• Reserve 1 tablespoon of the blackberry coulis and put the rest into the blender
• Blitz until the chocolate has melted and the drink is frothy
• Sweeten to taste and reheat if necessary
• Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream, marshmallows, a drizzle of the reserved blackberry coulis and a blackberry
• Serve immediately

Notes

Leftover hot chocolate can be cooled, stored in the fridge and reheated within 2 days. Stir well to re-blend the ingredients

Nutrition Per Serving (Approximate)

Calories:407kcal | Carbohydrates:39g | Protein:9g | Fat:24g | Saturated Fat:13g | Cholesterol:30mg | Sodium:108mg | Potassium:555mg | Fiber:6g | Sugar:29g | Vitamin A:501IU | Vitamin C:12mg | Calcium:255mg | Iron:4mg

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