3 Ways to Elevate Instant Hot Cocoa by Meseidy

What are my favorite things about fall and winter? Sweaters, fire pits, and hot cocoa! If you ask me, that right there is the perfect trifecta! Our neighbors have a large fire pit that they light several times a week and pretty much every weekend. We’ve spent many evenings with our neighbors around the fire, chatting and sipping on hot cocoa. 

 
 

Today I want to share three ways to take a packet of your favorite hot cocoa mix and kick it up a few notches. By adding a few ingredients and using different milks, your store-bought hot cocoa mix can go from good to decadent. 

 
 

Salted Dark Chocolate Truffle & Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

Nothing goes better with dark chocolate than a few flakes of salt. I absolutely love salted dark chocolate. That combination of bittersweet chocolate with salt makes me weak in the knees.

To make this, drop your favorite dark chocolate truffle into a mug, sprinkle with salt flakes and pour hot dark chocolate over top. Are you feeling swoony yet? If that isn’t enough, top with a dollop of marshmallow creme and toast it with a kitchen torch. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, no worries; the marshmallow creme alone is still delicious. 

 
 

Horchata Hot Chocolate

Are you familiar with horchata? If not, let me tell you about it—it’s amazing! Before moving to Texas, I had heard about horchata but had never tried it. Now that I have, I can’t get enough! Horchata is a Mexican beverage made with sweetened rice milk and cinnamon. A true traditional horchata is made by soaking rice for a few hours and then blending it with sugar and cinnamon. This recipe cuts some time by using boxed rice milk and sweetened condensed milk.

I love this hot chocolate because it’s light and creamy with a hint of cinnamon. Mmm. Makes me all warm and fuzzy. 

 
 

Coconut Almond Hot Chocolate

Finally, coconut almond hot chocolate! For this one, I used canned coconut milk and used the cream cap of the coconut milk to make coconut whipped cream. It’s kind of like an Almond Joy in a mug. Sounds amazing, right? 

It’s best to chill the cans of coconut milk for a minimum of 30 minutes to help separate the cream from the milk. Scoop off the coconut cream cap and store it in a resealable container. You will use some of the cream for the whipped topping. The remaining coconut cream can be added to hot drinks, soups and sauces to add creaminess and flavor. 

 
 

There you have it. Three amazingly decadent flavors of hot chocolate. So put on a sweater, light a fire and pick a flavor! I think I’m going to go with the chocolate coconut almond. Or the horchata. Or the salted dark chocolate. Good luck choosing just one!