Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Hiland Dairy Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk and bittersweet chocolate create a silky drink topped with peanut butter whipped cream.

Why We Love This Recipe

• The peanut butter flavor is already in the milk, so there’s no need to stir a spoonful of peanut butter into hot liquid and try to get it to dissolve.
• Real chopped chocolate melts into a richer, silkier drink than cocoa mix, and the hot chocolate only needs three ingredients.
• The whipped cream is optional, but it’s the best part. It takes two minutes and works on pie and pancakes too.

Ingredient Notes

Hiland Dairy Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk: This is the base for our hot chocolate. Use it cold from the fridge and warm it gently.

Bittersweet chocolate (65-70% cacao): The milk is already sweet, so darker chocolate keeps the drink balanced. Chop a bar yourself. Chocolate chips have stabilizers that keep them from melting smoothly.

Fine sea salt: You won’t really taste the salt, but it makes the chocolate taste deeper and the peanut butter taste nuttier.

Heavy whipping cream: Keep it cold until you start whipping. Cold cream whips up faster and holds its shape better.

Creamy peanut butter: Use regular creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter has an oil layer that can make the whipped cream greasy and flat.

Powdered sugar: Just a touch to sweeten the whipped cream and help it hold its shape.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Warm the milk slowly. Milk scorches easily, and medium-low heat keeps it from sticking to the pan.
2. Add the chocolate off heat. The hot milk is enough to melt it, and there’s no risk of burning. Small pieces melt faster and more evenly. Whisk until smooth.
3. Loosen the peanut butter first. A few seconds of whisking makes it soft enough to blend into the cream without clumps.
4. Stop the mixer early. Soft-to-medium peaks look fluffy and slump a little. Past that point the cream turns grainy and starts to become butter due to the peanut butter.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Whip the cream first. Keep it in the fridge while you heat the milk. That way you can top the hot chocolate right away and it doesn’t cool off while you wait.
• Stay by the stove. Milk can go from steaming to boiling over in seconds, so stir while you wait.
• Melt stubborn chocolate. If there are still bits after whisking, put the pan back on low heat for 15 seconds and whisk constantly. Pull it off before it bubbles.
• Taste before you pour. For more chocolate flavor, add another half ounce of chopped chocolate.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

The whipped cream keeps in the fridge for up to a day. Whisk it by hand for a few seconds to fluff it back up before serving. The hot chocolate is best fresh, but leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between.

Serving Ideas

• Add crunch. Top the whipped cream with chopped salted peanuts, crushed pretzels, or mini peanut butter cups.
• Add a drizzle. Microwave a spoonful of peanut butter for 10 seconds and swirl it on top or use chocolate syrup.
• Make a hot chocolate bar. Set out the whipped cream, chopped peanuts, mini marshmallows, and crushed pretzels, and let everyone build their own mug.
• Keep it warm for a crowd. Scale up the recipe and hold it in a slow cooker on low, stirring now and then.

For more delicious recipes, visit Hiland Dairy’s recipe page.