There’s something about hot chocolate that brings to mind winter, and the holidays, and cozy nights in. It’s warming, and delicious, and always feels like you’re treating yourself a little bit. Well, it is winter, and the holidays are certainly fast approaching, so with the excuse that National Cocoa Day was on December 13th, here are a few twists on the classic hot chocolate recipe for you to try at home.
Unicorn Hot Chocolate
This recipe is colorful, playful, and sweet! It’s a fun variant for fans of white chocolate.
Ingredients:
1 cup of white chocolate chips
2 cups of milk
2 cups of half-and-half
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pink food coloring
Whipped cream and sprinkles for garnish
Directions:
Combine your white chocolate chips, milk, half-and-half, and vanilla extract in a saucepan on your stove. Then, heat the ingredients over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is hot. You don’t want it to boil, just to heat. When it’s hot, whisk in your food coloring until the resulting color is your preferred shade of pink! Then, simply split the drink into mugs, and top with whipped cream and sprinkles.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Peppermint is another classic holiday flavor, so combining it with hot chocolate will make you feel doubly festive.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup of whole milk
¼ cup of cream
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of peppermint baking chips
½ tablespoon of cocoa
½ tablespoon of vanilla extract
Whipped cream for garnish
Directions:
Combine your milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. When it’s boiling, remove it from the heat, and add your cocoa, chocolate chips, and peppermint chips to the mixture, and whisk until everything is melted together and the mixture is smooth. Then, pour your drink into individual mugs, and top with whipped cream!
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
This is a creamy, decadent recipe that’s basically peanut butter cups in a mug.
Ingredients:
2 cups of milk
½ a cup and 1 tablespoon of chopped up peanut butter cups
¼ a cup of powdered sugar
¼ a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
¼ tablespoon of salt
Whipped cream, for garnish
Directions:
Heat your milk in a saucepan over medium heat, until it’s hot but not boiling. Then, whisk in your powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Add in your peanut butter and the ½ a cup of chopped peanut butter cups, and whisk again until it’s all melted in and combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it boil for about one minute, or until it begins to thicken, stirring regularly as it does. Then, remove your saucepan from the heat. Split your drink into mugs, and top with whipped cream and the remaining peanut butter cups!
We hope you enjoy these recipes! Let us know in the comments if you give them a try, and how they turned out.
