Homemade chocolate liqueur is great around the holidays and can also be given as a gift. It’s based on rum and chocolate, which make it delicious and aromatic.
Homemade chocolate liqueur really reminds me of my mom, which is why I love to make it. It tastes good too, but it’s the memory that makes it that more special. She didn’t drink often, but chocolate liqueur was something she really adored.
Chocolate liqueur is made with dark rum and ground chocolate powder cooked in milk. It’s almost like making chocolate pudding a bit more drinkable. It is sweet and a real treat come December.
It also makes a great holiday gift, when portioned into small bottles.
More chocolate recipes to explore
- Peanut butter chocolate cake (A delicious layer cake with fluffy peanut butter frosting.)
- Dark chocolate peanut butter blossoms (A Christmas cookie that everyone loves.)
- Chocolate chip loaf cake (A quick bread full of chocolate chips that is easy to make.)
- Chocolate stout cake with mascarpone (A single layer cake with chocolate stout and a fluffy frosting. A real showstopper but easy enough to make on a Sunday.)
- Hot chocolate protein coffee (If you ever wondered if you can put protein powder in coffee, you can. And it’s delicious.)
Recipe
Homemade chocolate liqueur
A great holiday treat or gift, this homemade chocolate liqueur is made with a mix of milk, powdered chocolate and rum.
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups ground chocolate powder
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups dark rum
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine 3 cups (720 ml) of milk, vanilla extract and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and milk begins to simmer.
- Meanwhile, combine the rest of the milk with ground chocolate powder and cocoa in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the simmering milk and keep cooking for another 20 minutes on low heat, maintaining a simmer and whisking occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Remove saucepan from the stove and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in the rum. Strain the chocolate liqueur and pour into prepared bottles. Keep it in the refrigerator and use with 2-3 months.
Notes
This recipe makes about 7 cups of liqueur, which is enough to serve at least 15 people.
I used rum with the alcohol content of 40% (ABV = 80 proof), you can of course use a lighter or stronger rum, and adjust the amount to your own taste.
If you don’t have chocolate powder you can use good quality milk chocolate. (Stir melted chocolate into warm milk and follow the recipe.)
Because alcohol has a different density than milk the two separate in a bottle. You’ll notice that your chocolate liqueur is suddenly of two different colors if it’s been standing in the refrigerator for a while. Shake the bottle or simply stir the liqueur with a straw before serving.
Thanks for sharing this and Merry (belated) Christmas!
I want to be able to sit around and do nothing for Christmas, myself. Just have a relaxing several days at home but to see family, we usually spend most of the holiday traveling which can be very stressful and exhausting. I have similar thoughts on just going away and disappearing for a month…
Thanks Kelsey! Well, I hope you had a good Christmas after all. 🙂 Happy New Year!
What is powdered chocolate?
Hi Kirsten, powdered chocolate (or ground chocolate) is chocolate in powder form. It looks almost like cacao powder, but is different in taste because it tastes exactly like milk chocolate.
Ghirardelli make something similar – http://www.ghirardelli.com/store/shop-products/collections/hot-cocoa-beverages/sweet-ground-white-chocolate-511.html
I hope this helps!
Since there is already so much sugar in this recipe, do you think I could use cocoa powder instead of the powdered chocolate?
Hi Sophie, you can substitute some of the chocolate with cocoa powder, but I wouldn’t completely omit the chocolate, as that is what gives this liqueur its true flavor. This is a sweet drink (however still strong), I admit, so I think it’s better if you just leave out some of the sugar. Take away between 1/4 to even 1/2 of the sugar, to make it less sweet.
Hope this helps and thanks for your question.
Hey, how long does this recipe keep for? Thinking this may be a nice Easter present for people 🙂 thanks
Hi Jess! At least for a few months, so you can easily make the liqueur now and save it for Easter, as long as you keep it sealed and in a dark, cool place.
Does the alcohol in it keep the milk from spoiling?
Hi Michelle! Yes, you’re right, alcohol keeps it from spoiling. 🙂
Please is there any substitute for the rum?
Hi Eddy, you can use vodka.
What do I do if I can’t get chocolate powder? Can I use something instead?
Thanks
Hi Evie, just use regular chocolate instead. Very finely chop it and add to milk, whisk until it’s melted completely.
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