Name: Orange Hot Chocolate
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/3 cup water; 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar; 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar; 2 cups milk (preferably whole or 2%); 1/2 teaspoon orange extract; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional; Orange slices to garnish, optional

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If you love Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, you’ll love sipping on this easy and citrusy sweet Orange Hot Chocolate.

A mug of Orange Hot Chocolate garnished with whipped cream, a slice of Terry's chocolate orange, and a slice of orange.

It’s hot chocolate season! I absolutely love drinking hot chocolate any time of year, but I know that some prefer to keep it as a seasonal treat. Either way, it is always fun to try new hot chocolate recipes! This particular recipe is based on my love for Terry’s Chocolate Oranges. It’s a family tradition to find one of these tasty treats in your stocking on Christmas morning, and this easy to make Orange Hot Chocolate is the perfect substitute when you are craving that decadent citrus flavor.

Craving some more fantastic hot chocolate and seasonal drink recipes? Try my favorites!

Clear glass mugs of Mexican Hot Cocoa topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks on a wooden tray. — Slow Cooker Mexican Hot Chocolate

This recipe took a whole lot of trial and error to accomplish that classic orange chocolate taste! I really wanted to incorporate fresh oranges into this hot chocolate, but the only thing this seemed to do was change the texture and make it not as smooth and rich (two of the most important qualities in my opinion). I tried simmering the orange peel, I tried adding orange juice, I tried all the things, but they didn’t really impart an orange flavor.

Clear glass mugs full of orange hot chocolate with striped straws in them. An orange and a chocolate in front of the mugs.

Instead, these attempts just made it weird and bitter. My solution, orange extract, might seem like a cheat to some, but it’s the quickest, easiest and most reliable way to add orange flavor to hot chocolate. It maintains the rich flavor and smooth texture while adding the citrusy tang that we are looking for. Save yourself the experiments and take it from me.

A close up image of a mug of orange hot chocolate with a colorful striped napkin in the background.

Don’t fear the Water!

For this recipe, starting with water will not water down your hot chocolate! Instead, it allows you to make a smooth chocolate syrup base to build off of. I’ve tried SO MANY hot chocolate recipes, and often I get annoyed when I go to pour the hot chocolate and find a big glob still stuck to the pan. With this method, globs of melted chocolate are never left over. All the important ingredients melt completely, and you end up with an evenly blended, smooth hot chocolate ready to enjoy in no time!

What Do I Need To Make Orange Hot Chocolate?

Slices of orange on a white plate, a bowls of granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and semi-sweet chocolate chips in a white bowl, a bowl of water, a bottle of orange extract, and a bottle of Shatto milk.

1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar
2 cups milk (preferably whole or 2%)
1/2 teaspoon orange extract

Optional:

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Orange slices to garnish

Step by Step Instructions:

A pot of boiling water. Then, the chocolate is melted in the pot.

Step 1. Add the water to a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Add the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and chocolate chips to the simmering water.

The melted chocolate syrup is stirred with a whisk.

Step 2. Whisk constantly until the chocolate chips have completely melted and you have a smooth chocolate syrup.

Milk is poured into the sauce pan and mixed with the syrup base.

Step 3. Pour in the whole milk and heat until steaming, remove from the heat.

Extract is whisked into the hot chocolate.

Step 4. Add the orange extract (and optional vanilla extract). Stir to combine.

Serve garnished with orange slices and whipped cream! Enjoy your Orange Hot Chocolate on a firelit night with some friends or your favorite book!

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Orange Hot Chocolate

Yield: 2 servings

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

If you love Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, you’ll love sipping on this easy and citrusy sweet hot chocolate.

Ingredients

1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar
2 cups milk (preferably whole or 2%)
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
Orange slices to garnish, optional

Instructions

Add the water to a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Add the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and chocolate chips to the simmering water.
Whisk constantly until the chocolate chips have completely melted and you have a smooth chocolate syrup.
Pour in the milk and heat until steaming, remove from the heat.
Add the orange extract (and optional vanilla extract). Stir to combine. Serve garnished with orange slices and whipped cream.

Notes

Orange extract is the best way to maintain a rich and smooth flavor. Water will not make the consistency of the hot chocolate too thin.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 424Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 3gSugar: 49gProtein: 12g