Bobby Flay's Go-To Ingredients For The Absolute Creamiest Hot Chocolate

If you prefer your hot chocolate as extravagantly rich and over-the-top as possible, Chef Bobby Flay has got just the tipple for you: his Red Velvet Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Whipped Cream. This thick, velvety drink is topped with a dessert-like cloud of whipped cream and uses a combination of milk, melted chocolate, heavy cream, cream cheese, and marshmallow creme to create one of the most indulgent winter drinks around. Out of all the celebrity chef tips for the best hot chocolate, Flay's might just beat everyone.

The secret lies not only in the ingredients, but in how you incorporate them. Flay builds creaminess into both the hot chocolate itself and its whipped topping, giving each component a different texture and flavor. His recipe, featured on the Food Network's "Brunch at Bobby's" show, takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Milk, obviously, provides the foundation. Flay gives cooks the option of whole, 2%, or skim, which seems a little silly if you're going to add heavy cream later, but so be it. Whole milk, in our opinion, is the best choice because its high-fat dairy makes for a richer mouthfeel and maximum creaminess. 

Flay emphasizes gently scalding the milk before adding the chocolate, rather than bringing it to a rolling boil. In addition to adding Dutch-process cocoa powder to the hot milk, he also throws in chopped semisweet chocolate for extra richness. Using both ingredients maximizes the chocolate flavor whilst contributing to that velvety consistency.

Although Flay adds a few drops of red dye to his hot chocolate to achieve that brick-red color of the classic dessert, there's also plenty of natural red food coloring substitutes out there. As for the luxurious marshmallow topping, Flay whips heavy cream with room-temperature cream cheese until soft peaks form. We must admit, cream cheese might be the most unexpected ingredient. It sounds unusual, but it gives the topping more body and a little more tang. It also lends the mixture a cream-cheese-frosting quality that, obviously, makes sense for a drink inspired by red velvet cake.

There are all kinds of ways to use marshmallow fluff, and we particularly love how Flay uses it here to add sweetness and stability. He folds it into the whipped cream cheese mixture, along with a splash of vanilla extract. Unlike ordinary marshmallows, which gradually dissolve when they come into contact with hot liquid, marshmallow creme works its magic here by helping the topping maintain its oh-so-fluffy structure. The combination of all three creates something between traditional whipped cream and the expected cream cheese frosting, with a wonderfully pillowy texture.

Don't be shy with the topping, as Flay finishes each mug with a generous dollop of marshmallow whipped cream. The result isn't so much hot chocolate as it is a drinkable red velvet dessert. Maybe it's not an everyday after-dinner drink, but it's certainly worth breaking out during winter storms and holiday weekends.