5 Ingredients or Fewer

Cardamom Hot Chocolate

Name: Cardamom Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: Serves 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup milk; 3 green cardamom pods, crushed with the back of a knife; 1 teaspoon unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons dark chocolate, chopped; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

by: motease

February 10, 2011

6 Ratings

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 1

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Author Notes

Restorative after being out in subzero temps. I used cardamom, but you could use any spice that struck your fancy. —motease

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Motease is a former dairy hand, kitchen hand, lab rat, and product development tech. She lives in Maine.
WHAT: An easy hot chocolate recipe to have up your sleeve all winter long.
HOW: Melt chocolate with a little butter, then whisk in cardamom-infused milk.
WHY WE LOVE IT: We've always been fans of cardamom and chocolate, and this recipe reminds us why. Plus, the teensy bit of butter adds a level of richness that milk and chocolate just can't get on their own. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

Ingredients

1 cup milk
3 green cardamom pods, crushed with the back of a knife
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dark chocolate, chopped
¹/₂ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat milk and cardamom pods over medium-low heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Heat butter and chocolate in another saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until smooth.
Whisking constantly, add hot milk in a steady stream. Remove from heat and remove cardamom pods. Stir in vanilla and serve immediately.

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24 Reviews

Write a Review

jude January 16, 2024

this is the perfect treat. anything with cardamom has my attention to begin with. i did one shortcut. i nuked the chocolate and butter in a 2 cup pyrex. then whisked the milk into it. i used 2 ghirardelli intense dark chocolate squares, which melted along with the butter. no chopping required. i toasted the cardamom pods first, as per MQAvatar's idea.
thank you so much for sharing and posting, motease and food52.

Marina February 9, 2021

I absolutely loved it. I used 5 grams of butter and 21 g of chocolate (which I did not measure, I got from KAF's Weight Chart). I also added a tiny bit of star anise to the milk along the cardamom pods. Next time, I'll make enough to fill a big mug, I can't have enough.
Simply wonderful!

jane February 1, 2021

Sorry to be knit picky but it says 5 hits of prep time and 20 hours of cook time?!

L January 9, 2020

This was delicious! What a great combination. I love cardamom and am always looking for ways to use it. Great for a rainy (or snowy) day.

I have one nit-pick-y critique because I feel like the editors of Food52 should know better, which is that the ingredients should be written in the order they are used in the recipe, so if the first step calls for steeping the cardamom in milk, the first ingredients on the list should be cardamom and milk. Here I was, chopping up my chocolate, only to realize that I should have had my milk simmering the whole time. (Granted, I should have read the recipe first, but I thought to myself, “it’s hot chocolate... how hard can it be? And I stand by that assessment!)

mywaterdr October 18, 2020

That's a very good point L, I often think the same thing when I'm trying a new recipe for the first time. There should be a food law: Ingredients should be written in the order they're used!

Hollis R. December 13, 2020

Absolutely an up-till-now unwritten recipe-writing law! In fact, any procedural list meant to be followed should be written in the order in which each procedure is to be followed.

What good would a rocket countdown be if it weren't done consecutively? "10-6-3-0-8-1-9-4-7-2-5, BLASTOFF!" I don't think so. You'd think that any mission control worth its salt would've read the instructions a multitude of times before ignition. Nevertheless, the countdown that I suggest, undoubtedly being carried out by computer, would've triggered liftoff at #0, the fourth PROCEDURAL number of the countdown. Which would make for a premature ejaculation heard 'round the world!

Hollis R. December 13, 2020

"the order in which each procedure is to be UNDERTAKEN" is what I meant to say. (Last sentence, first paragraph.)

motease December 17, 2020

This was a recipe that I posted one snowy day years ago. Glade you enjoyed. I am not an editor at Food52, so the mistake of not listing the ingredients in the order they are used is mine. It is remedied now.

essies January 13, 2019

Full disclosure: I didn't follow this exact recipe but I did use the proportion of dark chocolate (16g) to milk (1c), with erythritol and stevia, and it was perfect for a delicious cup of hot chocolate. I usually make cocoa and that tends to be too rich for my kids but they loved the hot chocolate I made following these proportions of chocolate to milk. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Nancy January 6, 2015

for weight of grated chocolate (or many other ingredients) check usda nutrient database, or similar db. they say grated chocolate is 132 grams/cup, so your 2 tbsp (which = 1 oz or 1/8 cup) tip the scales at about 16g

Chambersalyn@yahoo.com January 6, 2015

How do you measure 2 Tbsp chocolate? Anyone know the equivalent weight measurement?

Nancy December 26, 2014

Stroeckc - I recognized the pot as I have one in yellow. Enamel coated steel. Works beautifully. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Dansk-Kobenstyle-Butter-Warmer-White/dp/B00ABQD6OK

stroeckc December 14, 2014

Hi where do i find this beautiful pitcher?

motease December 22, 2014

Not sure, this is Food52's photo, they might have it in their Provisions shop.

Margo L. December 10, 2014

This is my simple recipe that is a hit with all kids - http://kosherblogger.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/home-made-hot-chocolate-on-a-very-rainy-afternoon/

Lapic O. October 23, 2014

Lovely, I started making mine lately with star anise , it's divine !

Lord A. October 5, 2014

What's the best brand of chocolate for this recipe?

motease October 7, 2014

I use Callebaut, but I would use the best quality chocolate you can afford.

christina A. February 5, 2014

can you use powdered cardamom....(she asks hesitantly)

motease February 11, 2014

Yes! I would use a scant amount of spice and add to taste. It might effect the texture, but you don't know until you try.

MQAvatar December 26, 2013

I love the addition of butter. Can't wait to try this. I might try toasting the cardamom too.