Thick Italian hot chocolate

Italian Hot Chocolate

Served in most cafe-bars in Italy, once the temperature drops out come the hot chocolate machines. But whilst an espresso is a (relatively) quick pick me up standing at the bar, cioccolata calda is there to be savoured. 

We may not be the Caffe Rivoire, but nonetheless Danieli hot chocolate has become a bit of a local institution. If you haven’t yet tried it, why not drop by and grab a cup of our famous cioccolata calda and head down to Richmond Green to kick up the autumn leaves. Or build a winter snowman. Or you could sit down at the tables outside our chocolate shop and simply watch the world hurry by. 

Part drink, part dessert, Italian hot chocolate is thick enough to stand a spoon in. You can sip it, or dip your pandoro in it, but the best way to enjoy it is slowly, spoon by (small) spoon. The perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness, against a rich creamy backdrop, this is all about quality, not quantity.

Thick Hot Chocolate

Thick hot chocolate is a far cry from the overly-sweet, too-milky, not-very-chocolatey liquid that we in the UK know (and may indeed love) as drinking chocolate. But what makes it so thick?

It is no secret that thick hot chocolate needs a little starch to give it a smooth rich texture. If you have ever been utterly disappointed by one of those chocolate stirrers on a stick, then you will know exactly what we are talking about. Simply stirring chocolate into hot milk is not the route to a deep, dark, glossy hot chocolate drink.

So, is thick hot chocolate gluten-free?

It is a sad truth that the more you need to add to a product, the further away it gets from any likelihood of being gluten-free. Some commercial hot chocolate blends, with a long list of ingredients, may categorically not be gluten-free. Fillers and thickeners abound.

We grind our own hot chocolate powder right here in store, so although we cannot certify it to be gluten-free, we do have some control over what we put in it and the quality of those ingredients. Danieli hot chocolate is made with only 5 ingredients, plus the milk – single-estate chocolate, cocoa, sugar, a touch of cornflour, and a pinch of salt to maximise flavour.

Is hot chocolate vegan?

The dark side, quite literally, of vegan hot chocolate is raw sugarless chocolate mixed with boiling water. Healthy? Possibly. Happy? Possibly not. This delightful scenario aside, a lot of hot chocolate contains dairy in some form or another. It could be in the chocolate itself, or as added milk powder.

We make our thick hot chocolate with 70% dark chocolate, which contains no dairy at all. Made with the plant milk of your choice, you get the best of all possible worlds. Rich, chocolatey…and creamy. 

Make Italian Hot Chocolate at Home

Now you can enjoy our famous Danieli hot chocolate at home.

Made with single origin chocolate from Uganda, to our own secret recipe, we grind it to powder and package it for your convenience.

How to make the best hot chocolate

1. Pour 250ml milk into a saucepan, over a low heat.
2. Sprinkle over 100g of the Danieli hot chocolate powder.
3. Whisk together as you bring to a simmer, making sure there are no lumps. It will thicken considerably once the mixture comes up to the boil.
4. Take off the heat, and allow to cool a little before drinking.

Enjoy your luxurious Danieli hot chocolate!

Thick vegan hot chocolate

Our hot chocolate powder is completely plant-based so all you need to do is make it with plant-based milk for a delicious thick vegan hot chocolate.

 A note on allergens

Whilst the ingredients themselves contain no gluten, the product may contain traces of tree nuts, peanuts, milk, gluten, wheat, egg, and sesame. The chocolate uses soya lecithin as a industry standard emulsifier so this product does contain SOYA. 

Danieli hot chocolate powder is available to buy in pouches of 100g or 300g.