Polar Express Hot Chocolate

This polar express hot chocolate recipe is a deliciously super rich Christmas Hot chocolate that's perfect for a snuggly movie night.

We love making homemade hot chocolate. The pumpkin spice hot chocolate is my favorite for fall.

But during the winter time, when it's close to Christmas I like to whip up a batch of this ultra creamy hot chocolate.

We call it our Polar express hot chocolate. Making this Polar Express recipe is a festive way to get in the Christmas spirit!

It's easy to make, and it will make your home smell like Christmas.

This recipe is inspired by the hot chocolate that is served on the Polar Express train.

It is made with milk, chocolate, and a few other ingredients to give it a unique flavor.

This is the best hot chocolate recipe! It's rich, thick and decadent and will surly put anyone in the holiday mood.

The Polar Express Hot Chocolate

The Polar Express is a Christmas classic that tells the story of a boy who takes a magical train ride to the North Pole.

The hot chocolate song is one of the most popular songs from the movie, and it's a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit!

During the train ride they sing a hot chocolate song. The whole things is a ton of fun with all the children on the polar express being served with a big cup of hot chocolate while they make their way to the north pole.

So if you are looking to recreate a little Polar express magic yourself at home, then why not whip up a cup of this special homemade hot chocolate and cuddle up to watch a Christmas movie.

Key Ingredients

For this recipe we are going to make a rich and very chocolatey batch of hot chocolate.

Sweetened condensed milk: This will add the sweetness to the hot cocoa, but also add a rich velvety feel to the drink.

Chocolate chips: We used both milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips to add our chocolate flavor. You can use just one, but I find the combo of both adds a good balance for chocolate that's not too sweet but also not too bitter. Also, the higher quality of chocolate you buy, the tastier your hot chocolate will be.

Heavy cream: Adds some rich density to your hot cocoa.

Whole milk: The base of our hot chocolate, you can use skim milk, but the texture won't be as rich and creamy.

Vanilla extract: We also use some vanilla extract to add some flavor. If you can get the real vanilla extract. It makes a huge difference in flavor.

Toppings: One of the most enjoyable components of hot chocolate is all of the extra toppings. So pick a few of your favorites and go nuts! Ideas for toppings we like:

• Whipped cream
• Marshmallows
• Cocoa powder
• Chocolate chips
• Crushed candy canes
• sprinkles

See recipe card for amounts

How to Make the Polar Express Hot Chocolate

In a heavy saucepan put the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips over medium high heat.

Make sure to be stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Then we are going to add in our heavy cream, milk and vanilla extract. Mix well to ensure everything is completely mixed together.

Turn it down to low heat and let it simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.

Pour your hot chocolate into some fun Christmas mugs and top with your favorite hot chocolate toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream.

Serve warm with added marshmallows or whip cream and Enjoy!

Using a Slow Cooker

If you'd rather make your polar express hot chocolate in a slow cooker or crock pot instead of a stove top you totally can.

Just toss all of your ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 3-4 hours, or high heat for 1-2 hours.

Substitutions

Chocolate: If you want to substitute the chocolate chips, you could easily swap it out for a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate and milk chocolate.

Just chop it up finely and measure out one cup of each. The important part is making sure you have 2 cups of chocolate total.