Before this was a cardamom rose toasted white hot chocolate recipe, it was a white hot chocolate recipe and before I started developing a white hot chocolate recipe, I thought I liked white chocolate.
So cloyingly sweet, so infamously single-noted. Even the quality Valrhona white chocolate (which I now keep as a fridge snack!). White chocolate needs something, be it bitter or salty or something else, to counterbalance that sweetness or it'll drive you straight off a cliff or into a mountainface because it's fun and because it can.
You could roast the white chocolate to build more complex flavors, but not everyone wants to spend 3+ hours prepping ingredients. You could do it for the love of white chocolate and kitchen experiments. But for this indulgent cardamom rose white hot chocolate, a shortcut to caramelized toastiness is necessary.
That's where the toasted milk powder comes in. The caramelized, slight bitterness (depending on how deeply you toasted the milk powder) of the toasted milk power offsets the sweetness and adds a layer of depth to the hot chocolate. It adds crucial nuance and is not optional for this recipe to turn out as I intend.
How to make toasted milk powder
Add it to cookies, make ice cream with it, mix up some rice krispie treats, whip up puddings and custards, uses for toasted milk powder are limited only by your imagination. Wherever you need a slightly hazelnutty, caramelized flavor is a good candidate.
Because toasted milk powder is so useful, you should make a lot of it and store it in an airtight container for later. There's no point in making just a tablespoon or two. Toasting milk powder is a moderately hands-off process, but it does take some effort.
To make toasted milk powder:
- Sprinkle a thin, even layer of powdered milk onto a sheet pan.
- Pop into an oven set to 350F for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, check on it. You want it to be fragrant and at least a bit darker than a golden brown. If it's not, give it a mix then put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. You should check on it every 5 minutes thereafter. Things can get too dark, too quickly. Trust me.
- The powder will probably be a bit clumpy. Let cool, then pour into a food processor and pulse until the powder becomes fine again.
Store in an airtight container.
What goes into cardamom rose toasted white hot chocolate
A couple ingredients I'd like to point out for cardamom rose white hot chocolate:
- White chocolate. Use the highest quality white chocolate you can. I ordered Valrhona white chocolate, but Ghirardelli would probably be second best and is more accessible and readily available.
- Cornstarch. Adding a slurry made of cornstarch and water to the hot milk and half and half, and then simmering the mixture will thicken up the cardamom rose toasted white hot chocolate adding a satiating cream texture that'll stick to your ribs and warm you from the inside out.
- Cardamom. Freshly ground spices will be more potent than spices that are already ground. If you have them or can, use green cardamom pods and grind them yourself.
- Rose water. I think rose water compliments cardamom and white chocolate perfectly, but not everyone loves its delightfully floral flavor, so I suggest starting with ¼ teaspoon and increasing to your personal tastes.
- Salt. Make sure you don't skip the pinch of salt: it helps cuts the fatty sweet of the white chocolate.
How to make the hot chocolate
When the mixture is on scalding on the stove, watch over it very carefully since milk boils over quickly for reasons The Kitchn explained. I hate mopping milk overflow off my stove.
Aerated hot chocolate is the best so there's no way you can over-whisk through the process. Do make sure you save some strength for the final whisk though.
It's important to note that toasting milk powder makes it a lot less water soluble, so you might not be able to get out all of the lumps.
And whisk again until you're too tired to whisk anymore because the the foam at the top of any drink the best part.
📖 Recipe
Cardamom Rose Toasted White Hot Chocolate
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cups whole milk
- ¼ cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon toasted milk powder
(see above for how-to) - 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon water
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon rose water (adding more or less to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon high-quality white chocolate , chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (or seeds from 2 green cardamom pods, ground)
- a mountain of lightly sweetened whipped cream
- rose petals (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to form a loose paste. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the milk, half and half, ground cardamom, and pinch of salt. Place over medium heat, whisking to prevent it from burning on the bottom, until small bubbles start to form around the edges and the surface starts to steam.
- Whisk in the toasted milk powder.
- If the cornstarch slurry has separated, whisk again to recombine. Then, whisk the slurry into the hot milks.Let this mixture almost simmer for 2-3 minutes, continuously whisking, until the mixture has slightly thickened.
- Once thickened, remove from heat, and whisk in the white chocolate chunks.
- Add the vanilla extract and rose water to taste.
- Give the mixture one final, hearty whisk. If you have a handheld milk frother, use that, but make sure the saucepan is big enough to keep everything contained.
- Pour into your favorite mug and dress it up with a giant dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream, a marshmallow, a pinch more ground cardamom, and a sprinkling of rose petals.
Leave a Reply