White Hot Chocolate with Flaky Sea Salt

Four ingredients, 10 minutes.

White chocolate, milk, vanilla, flaky salt. That’s all folks.

On Sunday afternoon when I was pondering what to whip up for this week’s newsletter three things came to mind:

1. It’s Valentine’s Day, we need a sweet treat.

2. This frigid winter has me craving hot beverages like never before, maybe you can relate?

3. EEK! It’s almost my self-imposed deadline for another Smart Cooks, and I didn’t carve out time to write and test a recipe that has more than two steps, and four ingredients!

So this week, we’re making like Sabrina Carpenter, and keeping it Short n’ Sweet.

If you see me scream-singing in the car, it’s this.

Which is exactly how I like my White Hot Chocolate with Flaky Sea Salt.

I don’t need a full 8-ounce pour, but I want it to be served piping hot, and ripped from the pages of The Polar Express, “as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars”, if you will.

Speaking of the bars. It’s really important to use good quality white chocolate here. I’m sure you’ve had one of those cloying, waxy, one-note white “chocolate” confections that are so sweet they make your teeth hurt. That’s not what we’re going for here. This is a recipe for investment chocolate. I bought a one-pound block of Callebaut at Whole Foods and let me say it was worth every penny of the $11 price tag, especially when you consider that a 5lb bag of Burdick’s “Burdick Blend” hot chocolate will set you back $152!

I bring this up because I think Burdick’s makes the gold standard of hot chocolate (in all flavors). And I’m not just saying that because my mom gifting my sister and I their chocolate mice —packed in tiny wooden crates, hand-tied with a ribbon and stamped with an embossed wax seal — is a core memory of my childhood.

I’ve been cooking for a new personal chef client in The Back Bay, and have gotten into a dangerous habit recently of treating myself to one of their hot chocolates before the commute home on the Green Line.

The siren song of this hot chocolate is too much for me most weeks.

So actually, buying blocks of pricey chocolate at Whole Foods is a money-saving hack. Follow me for more financial tips.

But seriously, one sip of this homemade white hot chocolate recipe will warm your bones and make your heart sing just as it should. Happy Valentine’s Day!

<3 While we’re on the topic of love, if you’re reading this on the Substack app, I’d be so grateful if you could hit that little heart button at the bottom of the page to show Smart Cooks some love, and help others find it. <3

My precious. I feel like just having this in my freezer gives me baker’s cred (which I absolutely do not have).

RECIPE

White Hot Chocolate with Flaky Salt

Serves 4

EQUIPMENT

• Cutting board placed on a wet paper towel

• Baking scale (or ¾ cup dry measuring cup)

• Chef’s knife

• Medium sized heavy-bottomed saucepan

• Whisk

INGREDIENTS

4-ounces good quality white chocolate such as Callebaut - this is about ¾ of a cup of finely chopped chocolate if you don’t have a scale.

3.5 cups whole milk you can absolutely use a non-dairy substitute, I tested this recipe with Macadamia nut milk, and it works well, though I prefer full-fat dairy :)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon

1. Finely chop the 4 oz of white chocolate and add to a medium saucepan with 3.5 cups of milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt.

2. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is dissolved and everything is steamy and just starting to burble, being careful not to let the mixture boil.

3. Taste to see if you want to add a little more white chocolate or a little more milk, depending on your sweetness preference. Pour into mugs or teacups and drink up!

White Hot Chocolate With Flaky Salt

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