Well y’all, it’s officially that time of year again! The days are getting shorter, the temperature is dropping, the scarves are making their appearance, and the Christmas lights are going up. This is my absolute FAVORITE season!
One of my favorite things to do during fall and winter is to curl up on the couch with a warm cup of hot chocolate. I always just use the Swiss Miss or Godiva instant packets (you can get the low-fat kind and it’s only 60 calories!!!), but there are some swanky brands of cocoa out there. Now, as a girlie girl, I love to accessorize--and that includes my hot chocolate! Accessorizing your cup of cocoa transforms a boring cup of “hot” chocolate into a fun cup of “haute” chocolate :)
Hot à Haute
~For the beginners: slather that puppy with whipped cream or marshmallows
~Add a dollop (or two): of whipped cream and add festive sprinkles to the top or add some chocolate shavings for a sophisticated vibe…how haute is that?
~Marshmallow Skewers: Put a few marshmallows on the end of a skewer and dip them into microwavable chocolate sauce (can be found at the grocery store and it is usually used for fruit or chocolate-dipped strawberries). Place the skewers in the fridge for a minute or two to let the chocolate cool. Now dip the chocolate-marshmallow kebab in your hot chocolate! Yummy
~Variations on Marshmallow Skewers: after dipping your marshmallow skewers in the melted chocolate, you can roll them in a mixture of crushed peppermints (as seen below), sprinkles, crushed butterscotch, you name it! These are such cute accessories for a simple cup of cocoa.
~Spice it Up: Top your cocoa with a mountain of whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Add a cinnamon stick for a stirrer/garnish.
~Minty Fresh: Add a few pinwheel peppermint candies to your cocoa to give your drink a fresh peppermint twist! You could also use a peppermint candy cane as a stirrer.
~White it out (with chocolate of course!): Take ¼ of a bar of white chocolate, crumble it up and mix it into your hot chocolate.
~Starbucks Schmarbucks: This is the easiest substitute to make your hot cocoa taste like a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. Before you add hot water or milk to the hot chocolate mix, sprinkle in some pumpkin pie spice (found in the spice aisle). DELISH!
So whether you’re curling up by the fire with a book or making a sweet treat for your main squeeze, these HAUTE chocolate ideas will be sure to melt hearts and really spice things up this holiday season!
xoxo, y’all
Catherine
