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.
Find out how to make the best hot chocolate at home.
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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.
If you like a little fruit in your chocolate be sure to check out my orange hot chocolate recipe too. It’s incredibly easy and ultra-delicious. And if you are after a touch of spice go for cinnamon hot chocolate or chai spiced white hot chocolate.
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
Step by step instructions
Essentially, there are 3 steps to making this drink:
- 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
- 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
- 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 blackberry hot chocolate 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.
More hot chocolate ideas
Have you made this recipe for blackberry hot chocolate? I hope that you enjoyed it. Please let me know by leaving a review.
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📖 Recipe
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Blackberry Hot Chocolate
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
Nita
Thanks for the recipe, this looks great! Good luck on your trip?
Laurie
Dear Jane,
Greetings! I just made this cozy drink with Xylitol in lieu of the icing sugar and homemade pecan milk. It’s very delicious, and a very creative use of our blackberries that we foraged last summer that are still lurking in our freezer.
Man alive! I have to pour another cup and gaze at my lit up Christmas tree; but before that, a quick question. Can you tweak this recipe so that it can be made with cocoa powder instead of chocolate? I’d appreciate that as I always keep cocoa powder in my pantry, but have a hard time keeping chocolate on hand because (duh) it’s too yummy.
Jane Saunders
Hey Laurie,
so pleased to hear you liked it. It’s proved to be one of my most popular recipes.
I’ve never tried it with cocoa in place of chocolate but my gut feeling is that this should be fine. I’d say go for it and let me know how you get along.
Jamieanne
Wow, this blackberry hot chocolate looks so delicious! I just posted a recipe for chai hot chocolate on my blog and it got me curious as to what other flavors of hot chocolate are out there; I think I’m going to try your blackberry version next! Yum!!
Jane Saunders
i hope you enjoy it. I might just have to give your chai hot chocolate a try too. It sounds delicious.
Jasmine
This was incredible! I’ve been looking forward to making it for a couple months now but saved it for a Christmas family movie night. We are big berry lovers so it was a huge hit! Mine even looked pretty like yours. ? I’m going to make it again tomorrow when we have people over for dinner. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Jane Saunders
Oh wow. Thankyou Jasmine, you have really made my day. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed my recipe – it means so much.
Agness of Run Agness Run
It looks so good! The presentation is amazing, I would love to taste this in this cold days!
Jane Saunders
Thankyou Agness – try one quick – Spring is not far away now 🙂
Megan Marlowe
I had a blackberry hot chocolate just like this, but with alcohol, and it was amazingly delicious. I’d imagine it’s just as tasty without the booze in your version! YUM!
Jane Saunders
Oh, I missed a trick. Maybe on Friday I should try it with blackberry liqueur in there 🙂 Pleased you like the sound of the alcohol-free version too though.