This post is also available in Spanish
Chocolate Santafereño is popular all around Colombia, especially in Bogotá, the countries capital. Hot chocolate is a staple in almost every Colombian home. In my family, as good “paisas”, we drink this hot chocolate at breakfast with arepa and cheese and sometimes as a “merienda”, an evening snack with Colombian pastries or bread and cheese. If you would like to make Chocolate Santafereño as we do in Colombia, you’ll need two old-fashioned Colombian kitchen gadgets, which you can get at my store.
A “chocolatera” and a “bolinillo” (or molinillo). Have fun!
Ingredients
(4 servings)
4 ½ cups whole milk
2 ½ tablespoons sugar or to your taste
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 ounces sweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point, add the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the sugar and cinnamon.
- Whisk vigorously or transfer to a blender. Reheat gently and serve immediately.
Comments
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[…] milk chocolate, so it’s better for you. That means you can now drink up all of that delicious hot chocolate abuela makes for breakfast, guilt-free! In fact, you have to. For the sake of your health. […]
Diana says
Erica, I love hot chocolate. Especiallly to dip churros into. What kind of chocolate do you use? A specific brand?
Erica says
Hi Diana,
I use “Chocolate Luker” it is from Colombia, if I don’t have that one I use Goya.
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
Yum… I love hot chocolate and the addition of cinnamon is so fabulous! I think I will have to whip some of this up this weekend!
rebecca subbiah says
oh wow this looks divine, i want one now
Kim says
This looks really delicious for those toasty cold evenings coming up. I love the cinnamon addition.
KennyT says
Hi Erica, can I use cocoa powder + sugar instead? I wanna try this recipe and I have some cocoa powder but not sweet chocolate on hand. Thanks.
ruth says
Yum! Chocolate and cinnamon! Looks so rich, Id love that for my breakfast right now!
Erica says
Hi kenny,
Yes, you can use cocoa powder.
Sophie says
Who doesn’t love a good hot chocolate? MMMMMMMM,…
Oysterculture says
oh yum, cinnamon and chocolate is the perfect combo!
Enoch says
I discovered this website yesterday and I am excited since I love Colombian people and their food. I learned how to make Colombian hot chocolate from a Colombian baker in NY and it is awesome! Looking forward to receiving more of your newsletters. BTW I already have the molinillo and the bars of LUKER. The best one is the sugar-free one so you can adjust the sweetnes.
Felisha says
I just had hot chocolate and home made buñuelos for breakfast 🙂 Yummy!!
Erica says
Thank you all for the comments!
Angie's Recipes says
A nice heart-warming drink!
Angie’s Recipes
Diana says
I’ll have to look for that at the Mexican store. By the way, I left you a tasty award on my blog 😉
Lynda says
I could use a cup of this delicious hot chocolate right about now. Thanks for the recipe!
Daily Diner says
wow that looks good.
Erica says
Thank you all for visiting and leaving a comment!
Anna says
I love hot chocolate specially with cinnamon, and loved the new site by the way.
gil says
Cinnamon love, but the difference of adding a bit of nutmeg as well…. becomes ADORE… and very paisa!!!! pues!!!
Clara says
do you like hot chocolat ? i like so much
this is just the best
sparky says
You put the cheese into the cup of hot chocolate. I’m surprised this important detail was missed in the recipe. It’s the best part to spoon out the melting cheese as you enjoy sipping the hot chocolate.
Don says
I believe that using a blender for the hot chocolate takes away from the home made process. Back in Colombia, we place the milk, chopeed chocolate and sugar in the chocolatera. Using the molinillo, we the chocolate was pressed and eventually desolved in the milk. I guess it just depends on which part of Colombia you are form. Coming from a humble (poor for those of you that think you are better than me) home, I guess that the true way to make chocolate, is with the cholatera and molinillo, not a blender
Erica says
Don- Use the blender if you don’t have a chocolatera and molinillo . In the USA not everyone has one! Does not matter if you are rich or poor 🙂
Andrea says
I was taught by my mother’s sewing circle that I have to let the milk boil up three times before it could be ready… makes for REALLY hot, hot chocolate. Mmmm, with a little queso campesino melted inside!
Erika says
That is so funny! My Colombian husband says his grandmother boiled the chocolate 4 times! I have wondered if this was because the milk might not have been pasteurised back then. And as for the blender vs. molinillo, I find that the molinillo cannot produce the same amount of “espuma” as the blender. Also, I have knocked over the “olleta” too many times on the stove!
ruthy says
Hey hun can I use some semi sweet chocolate chips it looks delicious but it is all I have at the moment?
Erica Dinho says
I don’t know, but you can try it and let me know!
Andrea says
This looks like the hot chocolate my family makes, but we will drop cheese in it. I have not been able to find a cheese here in the states that create a similar taste and melt the cheese the same. Any suggestions would be great.
Ruth says
I love chocolate but I am having a difficult time finding it. any ideas of where I could find it.
thanks
Erika Yepes says
@Ruth,
We like Corona Chocolate from Colombia. I have been able to purchase this on Amazon and sometimes I can find it in Latino supermarkets or special markets that specialize in international foods.
Anonymous says
I use only chocolate balls found hand made from Colombia . I fill up a backpack every time I visit .
Tom Garbacik says
I have many fond memories of starting the day with a mug of chocolate con queso and an arepa. It was best when working high in the mountains, where mornings were rather chilly.
Thanks for the recipe which dredged up the memory!
Manu says
I love your website Erica, since I arrived to Texas five years ago. I will like to know which cheese do you use for the Chocolate santafereño, ive tried mozzarella but it doesn’t melt as it should. Any suggestion! ¡Gracias!
Erica Dinho says
I use queso blanco.
Mark Rotlewicz says
Erica,
As a Colombian and from Bogotá expat I don’t recall ever using cinnamon in the recipe. Not saying it doesn’t add another layer of flavor for those who like cinnamon (not me), but I don’t think it is truly the traditional chocolate santafereño. Additionally it is a staple leaving the discotecas in the wee hours of the morning before heading home. I can recall many places along La Caracas and a hole in the wall just down from La Universidad de los Andes where you could get one around 3-4 in the morning.
Monica says
My dad always adds a couple of cloves to it and brings it to a boil 3 times- I dont know what the boil x 3 is supposed to do but he says thats how grandma used to make it- so we stick to that 🙂
Oscar says
Thank you for the recipe, I just married a Colombian queen, I plan to surprise her with this delicacy.
Thank you