It’s so rich and thick it’s almost like drinking a mug of pudding.

By 

Georgia Freedman

Georgia Freedman

Georgia Freedman is a writer, editor, and cookbook author based in Oakland, California. She has written for a variety of publications including Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Afar, Martha Stewart Living, Serious Eats, Simply Recipes, and was previously the managing editor of Saveur. 

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Updated January 23, 2024

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When I was 11, my family spent a month living in a friend’s small, partly-under-construction villa in Tuscany. We spent our time driving through fields of upturned sunflowers, seeing the sights in nearby towns and cities, and eating every kind of pasta we could find. But my strongest food memory from that trip remains my introduction to cioccolata calda—Italian hot chocolate.

When my mom set it down in front of me in a small, quiet café in the hilltop town of Trequanda, I didn’t know what to make of it. The chocolate was glossy and dark brown and so thick that it looked more like a pudding than a drink. I wasn’t even sure how to drink it and started to ask for a spoon to scoop it up. 

But my mom quickly ducked into the café and returned with a carafe of hot milk, which she poured into my cup to thin the chocolate enough to sip. The result was still heavenly—flavorful and decadent.

More than 30 years later, I revisited that chocolaty treat as a holiday treat for my own daughter. The first time I made it, her eyes opened wide with surprise (as I imagine mine did all those years ago) and she instinctually grabbed a spoon and began slurping up a mouthful.

What Makes Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate) Special

Italian hot chocolate is defined as much by its texture as its flavor. It is usually made with a thickening agent, like cornstarch (which is the same ingredient used to set pudding). I have also seen some recipes that skip the starch and call for lots and lots of melted chocolate, which, on its own, also thickens a bit as it cools. 

The version I had as a kid almost certainly had cornstarch in it, so I use that here, but I also add melted chocolate. The result is probably richer than the drink that I had back then, but it’s delicious—special enough to live up to my (possibly overblown) memory of that Italian hot chocolate.

My Mom’s “Con Latte” Trick

Not all Italian hot chocolate is as thick as the version I first had as a kid, but if you’re making it at home, it’s easy to accidentally keep the mixture on the stove for a second too long and end up with hot pudding. If you do, just copy my mom and stir in some extra hot milk; the result is just as delicious as ever.