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It doesn't just taste good, it's a fun and quick winter drink to make and enjoy. When it cools down outside, it's time to warm up with some delicious hot cocoa (or hot chocolate). This is a beverage you can get really creative with. You can spike it like egg nog, if you wish. You can pile on all the toppings. You can keep it simple. You can make it from scratch. You can alter the flavoring. The possibilities are endless, so let's get into it.
The basics of hot cocoa or (hot chocolate)
At its purest and most simplest, this beverage is melted chocolate (or cocoa) that's amplified with either milk or water and then flavored with a sweetener. As a low-key minimalist, I can appreciate this.
But as a high-key razzle-dazzle, extra-extra-read-all-about-it, I relish in opportunities to go beyond the typical by jazzing things up a bit. A simple mug of hot chocolate sets the stage to do just that.
Side note: A lot of us use hot chocolate and hot cocoa interchangeably, but there's a difference. Hot chocolate is actually made with chocolate (like a solid chocolate bar) while, hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder (as in the baking kind).
Prepare a Mug of Hot Cocoa
I am a proud, quasi collector of mugs as an avid tea drinker. And with being a tea-loving mug collector comes having a tea kettle. You're more than welcome to warm your milk or water in the microwave or on the stove top if you don't have a tea kettle. A simple one like the Mr. Coffee is a great starter kettle. 🫖
The base is the most important part because this sets the flavor of your hot cocoa (or hot chocolate). I grew up with good ol' Nestle hot cocoa powder mix and it gets the job done every time. Nestle, please don't change those ingredients, unless it's for the better of nutrition. I'm still on the quest to find more health-conscious hot cocoa mix options, but for now, this is the one. I try to opt for dark chocolate so I can feel like this supplies a little nutritional value.
Let's Take it Up a Notch and Go Crazy with Add-Ins
This isn't meant to be a recipe for hot cocoa. Instead, you'll have some ideas to consider and enhance the flavor for your warm, sweet beverage.
Alright, so we've got our piping hot mug of cocoa sitting and waiting for either drinking -- after it's cooled a bit -- or going all out to upgrade it. And we're going to go all out because why the hell not?
Now, let's top our hot cocoa to the skies. You can top it and layer it however your wish, but here are some inspired suggestions to get the creative juices flowing.
Layer #1: Add your liquor (optional first layer)
Spike it like it's hot. If you'd like, now's the time to add your alcohol of choice.
Layer #2: Add whipped cream
Whipped cream and/or marshmallows. I didn't realize this was an either/or type of thing. If I have both, I'm adding both.
Layer #3: Add sauce
It's time to add the sauce and you can experiment with your drizzle of choice. You can go with the OG Hershey's syrup, or experiment with flavors like caramel, strawberry, or vanilla. The sauce can complement the chocolate cocoa base by either blending with it to reinforce that chocolately flavor or it can pair with it to create a whole new flavor. Imagine a drizzle of strawberry sauce on your hot cocoa to imitate a chocolate covered strawberry. Mmmm...interesting.
Layer #4: Add candy
Crushed or chopped candy pieces ups the ante on hot cocoa. And just makes it even prettier to look at. Because the hot cocoa is so...hot, you can literally add a piece of chocolate bar to your mug and it'll melt down and enrich your drink. This is another opportunity to pair other flavors with your hot cocoa like some sort of almond crunch bar, toffee crunch bar, peppermint crunch bar, or crushed graham crackers (create a S'mores variation!).
Layer #5: Add a pretty cookie
A decorative centerpiece adds extra razzle dazzle to the hot cocoa -- and again, it makes it more enticing to the eye to devour. For this layer, consider chocolate-covered variations of pretzels and sticks, pirouette cookies, Biscoff cookie, or any kind of cookie, really. What cookie would you like to dip in hot cocoa?
Layer #6: Add the garnish
Let's finish off our extra-extra hot cocoa right with sprinkles, shavings, or a zest of flavor to leave a lasting impression. Depending on which flavor direction your hot cocoa has taken, you can add a dash of cinnamon, ginger, coconut flakes, dark chocolate chips or shavings, or sprinkles to keep things simple. No need to point out the irony of keeping it simple at this point. 😌
I'd love to try a mug of rich hot chocolate made from melted gourmet chocolate. And one day, I'm going to make that beverage when I gather all the fixings for that project. But for the sake of convenience and perhaps a dangerous craving for something more ready-made, cocoa powder is where's it at in this post.
Finally, curl up on the couch with a thick blanket and admire the hot beverage you just made by snapping a pic from its best angle. Remember that sharing is caring so tag me @jaz.the.sag on IG because I'd love to see your creation!
Enjoy that hot cocoa! ☕️
How do you prefer your hot cocoa?
Keep it simple
Just whip cream and/or marshmallows
All the toppings -- you name it
Note: This post features an item through affiliate marketing linking. The links included in this blog post are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use the products featured in my blog post and recommend them because I have found them helpful.
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