One thing that many people, even I personally, want to have in the morning is beverages. It can be tea, coffee, or a luxurious Glace Hot Chocolate NYC.

So, there are many types of hot chocolate, but which is the best hot chocolate in NYC to try at home? Well, I just tried a French-inspired glace hot chocolate recipe.

It’s a luxury twist on a classic chocolate. It has a velvety texture of melted chocolate with a hint of sophistication, which makes it a great treat.

When buying it in New York city it’s expensive for me. Therefore, In this post, I will give the recipe and teach you step-by-step how to make this decadent drink.

Plus, I will give you a customizing option to change the taste and flavor of this recipe, as well as some pairing options and ingredient substitutes.

Despite being vegan or having dietary restrictions, you can enjoy the nyc glace hot chocolate recipe.

Table of Contents

What Makes Glace Hot Chocolate Special?

There are a couple of things that differentiate NYC-style Glace Hot Chocolate from other traditional recipes that rely solely on cocoa powder.

This rich, gourmet hot chocolate is a must-try for chocolate lovers!

You will need high-quality chocolate bars or couverture chocolate to make this hot chocolate recipe.

These things make it richer and give it a creamy texture compared to other traditional recipes.

Besides this, glace hot chocolate is inspired by French hot chocolate tradition, which makes it a luxury option.

I myself love drinking it in the winter in the morning or when guests come to my home as it’s more luxurious than traditional.

Another thing is that this glace hot chocolate is versatile. You can tweak it to suit your taste buds by making it dark, intense, sweet, or milky.

Important Ingredients for the Best Glace Hot Chocolate

One thing that creates the difference between a glace hot chocolate NYC recipe and other traditional hot chocolates in New York City is the ingredients.

Here are all the important Ingredients, such as chocolates, creamy milk, and flavor add-ins, that you need to use to make a smooth, velvety drink.

Chocolate for Hot Chocolate Perfection: You need to use 70% dark chocolate for a deep, rich, and bittersweet flavor. You can also use milk chocolate for a sweet and creamy taste.

My favorite brands for the best glace hot chocolate are Valrhona, Lindt, and Ghirardelli.

You can use any of your favorite brands, but these are known for their quality.

However, if you want to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, make sure they contain real cocoa butter (it is important for the silky texture.)

Creamy Milk Base: I recommend using whole milk for thickness and creaminess, but if you want dairy-free hot chocolate, then use oat milk or soy milk. Even coconut milk is good.

Rich and Indulgent Cream: You should use heavy cream or Half-and-half to enhance the luxurious mouthfeel and make this drink smoother. But for dairy-free reasons, you can skip it.

Sweeteners to Suit Your Taste: First, check the sweetness of your chocolate. If you need extra sweetness, you can use granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Otherwise, you can keep it normal. If you want a low-carb option, you can even use stevia or monk fruit sweeteners.

Flavor Enhancers for a Gourmet Touch: My favorite options are pure vanilla extract for warmth and depth, cinnamon, sea salt, espresso powder, and orange zest. You can add any of them.

Make sure all of these ingredients that I have mentioned are of high quality for the best result. Even if you use different brands, that’s totally okay (Only quality is important)

Step-by-Step Glace hot chocolate nyc recipe

Here is the step-by-step guide to making the famous Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe at home:

Step 1: Prep Your Ingredients

First of all you need to do preparation. As I have mentioned many ingredients above, you need to bring them at one place like your kitchen slabs for a very smooth process.

And then you need to chop chocolate into small pieces as they can melt quickly as compared to melting a whole chocolate without breaking it.

Plus, you can add flavor enhancers like vanilla or cinnamon.

That’s the preparation you will need. And now, let’s move on to the next step.

Step 2: Melt the Chocolate

Now, you want to melt those small pieces using any melting method. They are two, a double boiler and a microwave.

The double boiler method is used in which you place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Meanwhile, you will keep stirring it continuously until it becomes smooth and silky.

Besides this, you can use the second method, which is the microwave method.

In this, you will heat your chocolate pieces in 20-second intervals.

But again you will want to stir it each time to prevent the chocolate from scorching. If you see the chocolate is too thick you can add a tablespoon of milk to loosen it up.

Step 3: Heat the Milk

Now take a different saucepan and pour milk and warm it over medium heat until it is steaming but not boiling.

If you boil it, it will ruin the taste and the actual effect of creaminess.

So, you want to stir it occasionally to prevent the skin from forming on the top of the milk.

Step 4: Combine and Whisk

Slowly pour the melted chocolate into warm milk. But meanwhile, you need to keep whisking continuously.

This is very important for smooth, glossy texture. If you miss it, then you will miss the texture too.

However, if you want extra cream, then use a hand frother or a blender to blend everything together.

Step 5: Add Flavor Enhancers

After combining everything you want to, whether it is your favorite flavor enhancer like white gel, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, espresso powder, or anything else that I also mentioned above.

This step is also important if you actually want to have a glace hot chocolate recipe.

Step 6: Serve and Garnish

Finally, your NYC glace hot chocolate is ready.

Now you want to pour it into your favorite mug and top it off with white cream, chocolate shavings, marshmallow, caramel sauce, cocoa powder, or anything that you want to have.

And here you go. Your drink is ready to enjoy.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Glace Hot Chocolate

Here are some pro tips that can take your Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe to the next level, making it taste just like the best hot chocolate in New York City cafés.

These tips will ensure extra creamy and extra creamy unique flavors with gourmet touch.

Achieve the Creamiest Texture: You should use a hand slower or a blender if you want to have a cafe-style hot chocolate ready.
Experiment with Different Chocolates: Dark chocolate is classic, which I use and recommend, but you can also try white chocolate for sweetness or ruby chocolate for a fruity-style drink. You can even mix multiple chocolates together for a whole new, different experience.

With these tips, your homemade Glace Hot Chocolate will be exactly like a café bought drink.

What to Serve with Glace Hot Chocolate

This luxury glace hot chocolate recipe tastes even better when paired with other delicious treats.

Here are some options that work well with this recipe.

Decadent Desserts: I have eaten chocolate-based desserts like chocolate lava cake, tiramisu, and chocolate truffles, and I really like them, so you can try them, too.
Warm & Flaky Baked Goods: I recommend eating buttery and flaky treats with it, such as croissants, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, for crunch and softness in every sip.
Savory Snacks for Contrast: If you want to balance sweetness, you can try salted pretzels, cheese straws, or a charcuterie board with mild cheese. These things are salty, and the drink is a little sweet. So, if you take one bite of any of these things and one sip of the drink, it will taste good.
Festive Seasonal Treats: If you make this glace hot chocolate recipe during the holidays, I recommend pairing it with gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, or spiced shortbread.

I also like trying some random biscuits with different types of drinks, including glimmer-hot chocolate, so you can try that, too.

Variations You Can Try with Glace Hot Chocolate

Here are some variations that I want you to try with the hot chocolate recipe. These variations can help you make your recipe dairy-free, spiced, chilled, and even more.

Vegan Glace Hot Chocolate: You can swap whole milk with oat, almond or coconut milk and use dairy-free dark chocolate.
Spiced Version for a Cozy Kick: You can add a pinch of chili powder, nutmeg, or cardamom. It will give your chocolate a warming, aromatic depth. This twist is inspired from Mexican traditional hot chocolate. (Mexican people usually love spicy things).
Iced Glace Hot Chocolate – If you want to try this variation of glace hot chocolate, especially in the summer season, you need to let the hot chocolate cool down a little bit. Then, you can pour ice over it and blend.
Kid-Friendly Fun Version: You should use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. It is more sweet and creamy. Plus, you can top it with colorful sprinkles, mini marshmallows, or a drizzle of caramel.

These variations are very helpful if you want to try this glace hot chocolate recipe year-round. Like, the recipe is hot chocolate but in summer you can add ice and turn it into a summer version.

Nutrition Value

This is an approximate nutritional breakdown per serving:

Calories: 250-300 kcal (depending on ingredients used).
Fat: 15-20g (mainly from chocolate and cream).
Carbohydrates: 20-25g (from chocolate and sweeteners).
Protein: 5-7g (from milk).
Sugar: 15-20g (adjust based on chocolate and sweeteners).

Note: Your ingredients and quantity will determine the right nutrition values based on substitutions such as almond milk reduces calories while whole milk is calories dense.

Can I use cocoa powder instead of chocolate bars?

Yes, you can use cocoa powder instead of a chocolate bar, but when you add cocoa powder, it won’t give a velvety richness to your drink.

On the other hand, glace hot chocolate needs high quality chocolate bars for better texture richness.

However, if you are using cocoa powder, don’t forget to mix butter or cream for the richness of melted chocolate.

How do I store leftover Glace Hot Chocolate?

You will have an airtight container if you want to use glace hot chocolate leftover safe for 2 days. Then, you will keep that container in a refrigerator.

And when you want to drink glace hot chocolate next time, you need to reheat it on the stove top over low heat or in the microwave for a short interval.

And meanwhile, you want to stir it frequently to maintain its creaminess.

What’s the best chocolate brand to use?

Best Chocolate Brands for glace hot chocolate recipes that I like are Valrhona, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Guittard , etc.

By the way, you can also try other brands that you personally like. You just want to make sure that chocolate needs to be of high quality.

Conclusion

This was the Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe—not just a drink, but an experience! With its beautiful, velvety texture and rich, indulgent flavor, it rivals the best hot chocolate in NYC.

You can make it dairy-free, vegan, sweet, spicy, cold, hot, etc.

Plus, you can serve it with too many things to make it a big treat, like snacks, desserts, etc.

So, now go and grab your favorite mug, and bring all the ingredients that you need to make it in your kitchen, and start making it. And yeah, don’t forget to bookmark this recipe and check others too.