I see some folks have asked about dissolving their blocks in water vs. milk or cream. I make these blocks quite often, and can offer some thoughts. I’m a professional confectioner who also specializes in European and Mexican sipping chocolates, and believe it or not, water actually creates a brighter, more chocolatey hot chocolate in which the nuances of the chocolate really shine (so use the best quality chocolate you can find). Milk or half and half, or a mixture of cream and boiling water, make a richer hot chocolate, but the fat molecules “dim” the chocoate flavor. By the way, nut, soy and oat “milks” and lactose-free milk work fine with these blocks. Those tiny cups of thick-as-pudding French or Italian sipping chocolates are made with heavy cream - and 60-80% dark chocolate, which really, I think, make for an interesting flavor profile - so try to find the darkest chips for the strongest, most full chocolate flavor in these blocks. Mexican sipping chocolate blocks aren’t really good for this recipe, as it retain its distinctive, pleasant, slightly graininess after melting.

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