• Christophe Rull is a world-renowned chocolate master and executive pastry chef at the Hotel Bel-Air.
• Business Insider asked him to share his favorite store-bought chocolate brands.
• Rull swears by Läderach, a family-owned chocolate company in Switzerland.

Christophe Rull is a world-renowned chocolate master, a cast member of Netflix's "Bake Squad," and the executive pastry chef at Los Angeles' iconic Hotel Bel-Air.

So, when it comes to anything sweet, we definitely trust his opinion.

Rull is developing a chocolate program at the hotel's new bakery, The Patisserie, but was happy to share the two store-bought chocolate brands he loves — just in time for holiday shopping — with Business Insider.

Rull has been working as a pastry chef for more than 25 years. He's won two Food Network baking competitions — "Halloween Wars" and "Holiday Wars" — and starred in the Netflix series "Bake Squad." Rull also represented the US at the 2021 World Chocolate Masters, which is regarded as the "world cup" of chocolate artistry and selects 18 finalists every three years.

Rull told BI that one of his favorite store-bought chocolate brands is Läderach, which is currently run by 2018 World Chocolate Masters champion Elias Läderach, who made history as the first Swiss person to win the title.

Läderach has been producing handcrafted Swiss chocolates since 1962. It now has 200 chocolateries worldwide, including in eight states across the US, plus the UK, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

If you don't have a Läderach chocolatier nearby, you can buy its wide variety of offerings online.

Rull told BI he also swears by Jean-Marie Auboine's chocolate brand.

"He was my mentor for a few competitions about chocolate showpieces," Rull said. "He's one of the top chocolatiers in the country for sure."

Auboine was the executive pastry chef at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami and the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas before starting his eponymous company in 2011.

"It started with two people," Rull recalled. "Now, he delivers to Costco and luxury hotels all over the US."

The 16,000-square-foot Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier is located on the Las Vegas Strip, but the brand's variety of chocolates, caramels, French macarons, and more can be purchased on its website.

• I made hot-chocolate recipes from Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, Carla Hall.
• My favorite recipe for hot chocolate was Sandra Lee's, which calls for a bit of alcohol. 
• Garten had my second-favorite recipe, though I'd make all of them again with some adjustments.

Like many people, hot chocolate was a staple of my childhood. On snowy days, I'd go build snowmen or sled with my little brother, then run inside to a cup of it.

I'd never had a homemade mug of hot chocolate — or hot cocoa, if it's made from a powder — so I decided to try five recipes from celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, and Carla Hall to see which I'll follow all season long. 

Garten's hot-chocolate recipe includes espresso powder and a cinnamon stick for garnish

The "Barefoot Contessa" host's hot-chocolate recipe seems great for a crowd — although I cut the recipe in half, it still made two to three servings. 

The original recipe calls for half a pound of chocolate, so I expected it to be very rich. It also includes espresso powder, which I figured would boost the chocolaty flavor. 

She calls for a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick to use as garnish, which are fancier and more expensive than marshmallows, whipped cream, or peppermint rods.

Once the ingredients were measured and chopped, this drink quickly came together

It took me some time to measure out all of the ingredients, but after that was done, Garten's recipe was pretty quick and straightforward. 

I heated the milk and half-and-half on the cooktop, then whisked in the bittersweet and milk chocolate until they were melted. From there, I added in the rest of the ingredients, stirred it all together, and poured it into my mug. 

I garnished the drink with a cinnamon stick since vanilla beans are a little too pricey for me to justify using them for garnish.

This hot chocolate was delicious and not too sweet

Rich is the best way to describe this hot chocolate — it had a thicker consistency and a delicious, chocolaty flavor that wasn't too sweet thanks to the bittersweet chocolate. The espresso definitely helped bring out the richness of the chocolate.

Although the cinnamon stick was a nice touch, a drink this good begs for some whipped cream as well.

Torres' hot-chocolate recipe calls for 4 ingredients, and none of them are sugar

Torres, a renowned pastry chef and "Nailed It!" cohost, has a very simple hot-chocolate recipe with just four ingredients — milk, milk powder, cornstarch, and dark chocolate.

The one thing I noticed right away is that there are no sweetening agents in this recipe, so I expected it to be more bitter than the others.

The directions were as simple as the ingredients list

With only four ingredients, it makes sense that this recipe was also easy to make. 

I boiled the milk, stirred in the chocolate until it melted, then added the milk powder and cornstarch to thicken the mix.

Although I quickly whisked nonstop, I later found out that some of the milk powder didn't completely dissolve.

I would've liked a bit of sweetener in this recipe

I liked the use of dark chocolate, but this recipe needed a little bit of sweetener. It was just a bit too bitter, but the worst part was the clumps of milk powder that didn't dissolve, no matter how hard I whisked. Luckily, this is an easy fix: I'll use a strainer next time. 

Otherwise, the texture was thick — but not as rich as Garten's — and it would be really delicious with a little bit of sugar.

Lee's recipe is a little boozy

I was unsure if I'd be a fan of Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking" recipe, which calls for milk chocolate, half-and-half, cinnamon, and either vanilla vodka or hazelnut liqueur. 

I opted for the latter because it's what I had on hand, but I was worried the milk chocolate would make this drink too sweet.

This was the fastest recipe to make

With only three ingredients that go onto the cooktop at the same time, this recipe was ready in five minutes. 

After the mix melted together and heated up, I poured it into a cup and added an ounce of hazelnut liqueur.

I couldn't believe how incredible this hot chocolate turned out

This recipe is so good. The drink had a hint of spice and was sweet, slightly nutty, and definitely chocolaty — I loved the flavor that the cinnamon and hazelnut added. 

After one sip, I knew this would be my go-to drink for winter.

Brown's recipe is for hot cocoa, but I still wanted to try it

This recipe results in a hot-cocoa powder that you can store and use again because it keeps "indefinitely," according to Brown. This was an advantage the hot-chocolate recipes didn't have, so I was excited to see how this turned out. 

The mix calls for six dry ingredients that get combined with hot water.

Mix, pour, and stir — this recipe was ready in no time

I measured out all of the dry ingredients, including a pinch of cayenne, and stored the mix in an airtight container. Even after cutting the recipe in half, this still made about two cups of hot-cocoa powder. 

Once everything was combined, I filled my mug halfway with the mix, then poured in the hot water and stirred.

This simple hot cocoa had the slightest kick from the cayenne

The finished drink had a barely sweet chocolate flavor, plus a little heat from the cayenne. 

The recipe lists hot water among the ingredients, so that is what I used. However, Brown also said in the directions that the mix works great with warm milk, which I'll use next time for a slightly thicker and richer drink.

Overall, this hot cocoa was still tasty and better than the store-bought alternatives.

I was excited to experiment with the unique hot-chocolate ingredients in Hall's 'Snow Day Cocoa'

Culinary judge Hall had a unique lineup of ingredients in her hot-chocolate recipe, ranging from dark chocolate and toasted cinnamon to ginger and orange peel, plus a homemade whipped cream. 

I love all of these flavors, so I was looking forward to trying this option.

This recipe took me the longest to make

Hall's hot chocolate was more involved than the others, but the steps were still easy to follow. 

I started by toasting some ground cinnamon in a pot on the cooktop, then I added the rest of the base ingredients. 

As that heated up, I made the whipped cream — which requires heavy cream, ginger, and sugar — in my stand mixer. The original amount of cream was too little for my attached whisk to reach and whip, so I doubled the recipe.

I enjoyed the various flavor profiles in this hot chocolate

The drink had a strong dark-chocolate flavor, which I liked. The toasted cinnamon and hints of ginger and orange helped tone down most of the bitterness. 

I think I'd add a little more sugar to the hot chocolate itself, but overall, this recipe was great.

I liked all of the recipes, but Lee's was my favorite

I'd try all of these recipes again, but Lee's was the winner for me. I loved her combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and hazelnut. The drink's texture was perfect because it wasn't too watery or too thick.

Garten's recipe was a very close second, as it was so rich and chocolaty — just as this delicious drink should be. 

I'd also happily make Hall's "Snow Day Cocoa" again with a little more sugar, and Brown's mix is still in my pantry. I would also attempt Torres' recipe again, though I'd use a strainer and add sweetener to it. 

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on December 3, 2020, and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• To find the best store-bought hot cocoa, I tried prepackaged powders from five different brands.
• I bought standard mixes from Ghirardelli, Hershey's, Land O'Lakes, Publix, and Swiss Miss.
• Ghirardelli's hot cocoa was the best — it was rich and chocolaty.

There are a lot of hot-cocoa mixes at the grocery store, but which is the best?

To find out, I reviewed standard mixes from Ghirardelli, Hershey's, Land O'Lakes, Publix, and Swiss Miss. To keep things consistent, I made each with warm water instead of milk.

Here's a breakdown of how they compared, plus which store-bought hot cocoa I liked the best. 

I first tried Publix's original hot-cocoa mix.

This store-brand hot-cocoa mix had the simplest packaging, from the brown-and-white box to the plain single-serve bags.

The package featured instructions for preparing the hot cocoa using hot water and a microwave.

I had a small microwave mishap, but it didn't affect the hot cocoa's flavor.

Per the package instructions, I mixed the contents of a singular pouch with 3/4 cup (6 ounces) of water in a mug and heated the drink in the microwave for a minute and a half.

I wasn't watching the mug closely, and the hot cocoa overflowed a few seconds before it was done warming up.

I waited for the hot cocoa to cool enough before trying it, but I thought it tasted very sweet and watery and lacked a strong chocolate flavor.

I tried Hershey's milk-chocolate-flavored mix, which has "real milk" as an ingredient.

I imagined this hot cocoa would taste like a melted Hershey's chocolate bar, and I was looking forward to trying it. 

Each single-serve packet had foil edges to resemble the iconic Hershey's bar wrapper, which I thought was a nice touch. 

Although the hot cocoa didn't spill this time, its flavor was disappointing.

I followed the package instructions and microwaved 3/4 cup of water for a minute. Then, I added the cocoa mix and stirred until it was fully dissolved. The water must not have been hot enough, though, because some powder pooled at the top.

Although Hershey's hot cocoa had a richer feel and smoother texture compared to Publix's, the flavor was unusual and hard to place.

It tasted slightly bitter and very artificial — definitely not like chocolate, Hershey's or otherwise. 

I'm most familiar with Swiss Miss hot cocoa.

I drank Swiss Miss growing up, so it's the brand I most associate with hot cocoa.

Although I'd usually go for the marshmallow variety, I picked up the milk-chocolate flavor for the sake of consistency in this taste test.

Swiss Miss' hot cocoa was frothy and made the largest cup.

The other hot-cocoa mixes called for 3/4 cup water, but Swiss Miss' required a full cup, so I got felt like I got more bang for my buck. All of the powder quickly dissolved in the hot water without hassle.

Although the chocolate flavor wasn't strong, the taste was balanced — not too sweet or too milky. Despite not tasting the sweetest, it had the most added sugar of any brand I tried at 28 grams per serving. 

This Ghirardelli's hot-cocoa mix is made with semisweet chocolate chips.

The Ghirardelli hot-cocoa mix had the most polished packaging, which was a nice touch that suggested a more premium product and experience.

The instructions on the box included options for cooktop and microwave preparation but also offered a third recipe for "decadent hot chocolate," in which a square of Ghirardelli chocolate is added to the drink.

My first sip of the Ghirardelli hot cocoa was rich and chocolaty.

I added the package contents to a mug with 3/4 cup of water and microwaved it for a minute.

The Ghirardelli hot cocoa definitely had the most intense chocolate flavor, which I appreciated. The drink's rich taste and texture felt gourmet, but it wasn't heavy enough that I couldn't finish the whole cup.

There was a depth of flavor and body to this hot cocoa that stood out above the others — it almost reminded me of drinking a bar of chocolate.

The last hot cocoa I tried was from Land O'Lakes.

This hot-cocoa mix was the only one I found sold as a single-serve packet, which is nice if you want to sample different flavors.

I also liked that Land O'Lakes had a range of fun flavors, like mint, raspberry, caramel, hazelnut, and Irish creme.

The packet offered instructions for preparing the cocoa as a hot or cold drink.

Land O'Lakes' hot cocoa had a creamy texture, but the strongest flavor didn't seem to be chocolate.

I followed the instructions for the warm alternative, pouring the mix into a mug and stirring in 3/4 cup of hot water. 

Like the Hershey's hot cocoa, the Land O'Lakes mix didn't taste much like chocolate — it was sweet, with hints of caramel and vanilla. Despite not having the expected flavor, this hot cocoa was more enjoyable than some others because of its creamy texture that wasn't too watery.

Although these hot-cocoa mixes were inexpensive and easily accessible, they lacked the deep, chocolaty flavor I craved.

As I conducted this taste test, it became clear that prepackaged hot cocoa wasn't the best option for a drink with a rich texture and deep chocolate flavor.

For these qualities, I'd recommend making hot chocolate, which is made with melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.

Even so, Ghirardelli's hot cocoa was the clear winner of this taste test.

Ghirardelli's hot cocoa satisfied my desire for a rich, chocolaty drink, and its thicker texture made it taste more gourmet than the others.

My runner-up is Swiss Miss because of the nostalgia factor and the balanced flavor — it wasn't too sweet nor so milky that the chocolate flavor disappeared.

• This story was originally published on November 16, 2020, and most recently updated on December 17, 2024.

Turning sunflower seeds into sustainable, cocoa-free chocolate has netted Munich-based B2B food tech startup Planet A Foods (formerly QOA) a $30 million Series B funding round. Now, the Y Combinator alum is gearing up for industrialization, with the funds set to be deployed to scale its production capacity by around 7.5x. The round fast follows […]

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• To find the best hot chocolate, I tried Starbucks, Peet's, Coffee Bean, Dunkin', and Krispy Kreme.
• Starbucks' cocoa had notes of smooth dark chocolate, while Coffee Bean's was thicker and sweeter.
• Here's the best hot chocolate from a national coffee chain and why.

The end of the year is upon us, and with it comes the cool winter months, which means it's time to ditch my regular order of iced coffee in favor of a warmer drink. For those of us trying desperately to cut back on caffeine, the humble classic hot chocolate is a top-tier choice. 

If you're not looking to make it yourself at home with the best store-bought hot cocoa — in which case the runaway winner, in my opinion, is Nestlé's oft-overlooked Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate — or boldly starting from scratch using a celebrity chef's recipe, it's quick and easy to visit a national coffee chain for a sip of the iconic cold-weather drink. 

I like my hot chocolate rich, but not overly sweet, with a creamy milk base. It should be topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or, even better, a marshmallow. So I tried five national coffee chains in search of the cup that felt the most like a warm hug, hitting all the luxurious chocolate notes one craves without being a one-note sugar bomb.

What I found may reveal my status as a basic coffeehouse lurker, but I stand by my assessment. You'll have to try for yourself, but here are the five cups of hot chocolate from each coffee chain, ranked from worst to best:

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

In defense of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, they have plenty of drinks and snacks on their menu that taste good. Their Black Forest blended drink beats out Starbucks' menu of Frappucinos any way of the week. But their cocoa isn't one I'd revisit — though other members of my household disagree, so, as always, your mileage may vary.

A barista at a local branch told me that The Coffee Bean's $4.25 cup of hot chocolate defaults to using nonfat milk, mixed with chocolate powder, and topped with simple whipped cream. 

But somehow, this hot cocoa had a much thicker consistency than the others, coating my mouth with a cloyingly sweet chocolate flavor that tasted like a glass of melted Cadbury milk chocolate.

While I could see someone with a sweeter tooth than mine — which is admittedly hard to come by — enjoying the taste, I couldn't take more than a sip or two.

Peet's Coffee

I had hoped for more from Peet's Coffee, expecting a velvety, diner-style cup of cocoa from the smaller chain, but what I got was just fine. Average. Plain.

I watched as my barista emptied a nondescript brown pouch of chocolate powder into a cup, adding warm 2% milk, and stirring the mixture with a spoon before topping it with canned whipped cream and handing it to me.

Tied with Starbucks as the most expensive offering at $4.45, the hot chocolate I got from Peet's Coffee offered less flourish than I would have made myself at home. 

While slightly sweeter than the cocoa at Starbucks and Krispy Kreme, Peet's Coffee's hot chocolate had a simple, inoffensive flavor — but there was nothing special about it. 

Dunkin'

Notably, the Dunkin' I visited had the friendliest staff, but that didn't impact the flavor of its hot chocolate, and let's be honest — the cocoa was mid (because Dunkin' stays average.)

The barista at the doughnut empire said the ubiquitous East Coast chain defaulted to using hot water instead of milk in its $3.69 cup of cocoa. And while Dunkin' was the only chain to offer a much-appreciated topping to accompany the whipped cream — mocha-syrup drizzle — I could tell the drink's base was made without milk. 

It also nearly burned my tongue and was far and away the hottest cup of chocolate of the day.

Without the dairy, Dunkin' hot chocolate was noticeably less creamy, though it had an intense chocolate flavor — a likely benefit of the mocha syrup on top. 

Krispy Kreme

As a chain I rarely visit, Krispy Kreme surprised me by coming in second place for its overall flavor. 

At $3.55, the doughnut chain's midsize cocoa was less expensive than the other major hot chocolate movers, but it rose above almost all of them by using a Ghirardelli powder base with steamed 2% milk.

It was served warm, not hot, and included whipped cream but not sprinkles or drizzle.

Krispy Kreme's cocoa had no frills, but offered more nuanced flavor than Peet's, Dunkin', and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf without having quite the complexity that Starbucks does.

Starbucks

I didn't want Starbucks to win — and I say that as a gold-level rewards-card member who believes in, and even evangelizes about, the value of the omnipresent coffee chain. But I wanted a dark horse contender to rise through the ranks to cinch the top spot; I wanted to be proven wrong.

I suppose I didn't want the answer to be that basic, but, alas, Starbucks made me the best cup of hot cocoa of all five I tried.

While pricey at $4.45 for a 16oz drink after tax, I guess the offering coming from the biggest US coffee chain should be the best.

Starbucks' cocoa is made, by default, with steamed whole milk mixed with house-made mocha syrup, then topped with whipped cream. Though notably missing any unique toppings such as a chocolate syrup swirl or marshmallow, which would undoubtedly heighten the experience, this hot chocolate was rich and creamy without being too sweet.

The drink had some back-end bitter notes that I could see making my opinion controversial, but having a more complex flavor made Starbucks' hot cocoa more enjoyable than the others.

Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2023.