Hot Chocolate Indulgence

Have you heard that National Cocoa Day is December 13th? That means it will be a good day to treat yourself to a decadent cup of hot cocoa with all the fixings.

The timing is perfect. This is a busy holiday preparation week and you deserve to take a break, sit down, and wrap your hands around a steaming mug of chocolate.

How to Make Indulgent Hot Chocolate at Home

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. When you shop using these links, I receive a small payment that helps support the costs of publishing this blog.

A Mug of Indulgent Hot Chocolate

Making delicious hot chocolate at home surprisingly is easy and you probably have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen right now. The basic requirements are cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. You'll want a little flavoring, too. Vanilla extract is perfect, but feel free to add some Kahlua or Bailey's Irish Cream (or both) if you want to adultify your hot chocolate.

How to Decorate Your Hot Chocolate Mug

You will need:

White Chocolate Chips

Candy Canes, crushed

If you want to jazz up your hot chocolate mug like I did, you'll want some white chocolate chips and some candy canes. Prepare your mugs in advance.

Crush two candy canes in a zip-top bag and place the pieces onto a small, shallow plate. I used a metal meat-pounding tool to crush the candy canes but you can use whatever tool you have handy.

Melt two ounces of white chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl and microwave on high for about one minute. Stir the chocolate at thirty seconds to get a feel for how much longer you will need to heat the chips. Check every fifteen seconds until the chips are melted. Stir well and pour the melted chocolate onto a small plate.

Dip the rim of each mug into the melted chocolate to coat well. Then dip the mugs into the crushed candy cane.

Set the mugs aside to allow the chocolate to harden. One caution: don't pour your hot cocoa into the mug up to the same level as the decorative white chocolate rim. The hot cocoa will melt the white chocolate and it will drip.

Are you ready to indulge?

How to Make Indulgent Hot Chocolate

Printer Friendly Recipe
Makes Three Eight-Ounce Servings

1/4 cup cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla per eight-ounce cup, or preferred liqueur
Sweetened whipped cream, optional
candy cane stirrer, optional

Directions

Place the cocoa powder and sugar in a pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup of hot water and stir to combine well. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the milk to the pot and heat until the desired drinking temperature. Pour into prepared mugs and add vanilla or liqueur to flavor as desired.

Top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and crushed candy cane sprinkles. Add a candy cane as a stirrer, if desired.

Thank you for sharing this blog post with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Yummly. I appreciate your support.

Comments

How to Make a Perfect Bacon and Eggs Breakfast

In my opinion, the best breakfast consists of two perfectly fried eggs, crispy bacon, and toast made with hearty bread. This bacon and eggs recipe delivers. Bacon and eggs or eggs and bacon? No matter, it is definitely the breakfast you want on those lazy mornings when you have time to relax around the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee or two. The Best Bacon and Eggs Breakfast (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) How to Cook Bacon and Eggs My technique was learned from my mom, by watching her make our family's breakfast over and over again, year after year. This is a basted egg recipe which means the eggs are cooked in bacon grease. Cooking eggs in bacon fat is easy and takes just a little practice to perfect. All you really need for a great bacon and eggs breakfast is a good nonstick skillet and a good toaster . If you want to make your own bre...

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

An Old-Fashioned Cookie That Always Turns Out There’s something about a good gingersnap cookie that just feels right. Not fancy. Not complicated. Just dependable… and really, really good. These crunchy, spicy gingersnaps are the kind of cookie you make when you want something you know will turn out—and something everyone will recognize and enjoy. They’ve got that classic crackled top, a warm blend of spices, and just enough sweetness to balance it all out. And the best part? They’re easy. No mixer required. Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner. It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation.

Coffee and Dessert-A Perfect Pairing

Coffee and dessert go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, night and day, or Thelma and Louise. I've teamed up with three blogging friends who love coffee and dessert as much as I do to bring you three of their favorite fall desserts to pair with three specialty coffee drinks I've made in the Ninja Coffee Bar System. I was very excited to receive this Ninja Coffee Bar System (Model CF092) to review. I am by no means a coffee snob but I do like a good cup of coffee. I also like a coffee maker that is easy to use and can be depended on to produce a consistent cup of coffee day in and day-out. In the past few years, I have used a Keurig single-serving system, a French press, and a Cuisinart drip coffee maker. The Keurig is sitting on a shelf in my basement, the French press is on a high shelf in the kitchen and the Cuisinart sits in my beverage center waiting for me to return to it while I take the Ninja Coffee Bar System for a test drive. I have...

The Best Asian Dipping Sauce You'll Ever Taste

If you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-make Asian dipping sauce perfect for sushi and dumplings, then you've come to the right place. This recipe for the best Asian dipping sauce is perfect for any time you want a kick of delicious Asian flavor. An Asian Dipping Sauce for Sushi and Dumplings Try this if you are looking for a dipping sauce that is a little more flavorful than you typically get with your takeout order. You'll love it with dumplings, too!

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can surely bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe. An Old-Fashioned Date Cookie Recipe What are old-fashioned date-filled cookies? Old-fashioned date-filled cookies are a nostalgic, soft sandwich cookie featuring two rounds of tender sugar cookie dough with a sweet, homemade date jam filling in the center. This vintage 1930s recipe is a traditional holiday favorite, prized for its soft texture and the perfect balance of buttery dough and naturally sweet dates. Prep time: 20 minutes Baking time: 10-12 minutes Key Ingredients: Dates, sugar, flour, and shortening (for that authentic vintage...

The Ultimate Cinnamon Swirl Bread: A Bread Machine Recipe

Today's recipe will fill your kitchen with an incredible aroma and lots of smiles. It's homemade cinnamon swirl bread made with your bread machine Easy Cinnamon Swirl Bread in Your Bread Machine This post includes affiliate links. This recipe brings together the ease of your trusty bread machine with the deliciousness of a warm, sweet, and perfectly swirled cinnamon bread. Get ready for a slice of pure comfort!

Calla Lily Tea Sandwiches

These calla lily tea sandwiches are an easy way to create something truly special for a bridal shower, tea party, or small gathering, without making things complicated. One look at these calla lily tea sandwiches and you might think they are far too fussy for you to make for your special gathering. Fear not! These calla lily tea sandwiches are adorable, tasty, and not too fussy once you get your assembly technique down. Best of all, these calla lily finger sandwiches make a beautiful presentation on your buffet table. Calla Lily Finger Sandwiches (This post includes affiliate links.) Calla Lily Tea Sandwiches If you are looking for finger sandwiches that are a little different, you have found them here. These calla lily sandwiches are a perfect little bite to add to your party menu. They are especially perfect for bridal show...

Traditional New England Whoopie Pies

These old-fashioned whoopie pies are soft, chocolatey, and filled with a rich, creamy filling, just like the ones many of us remember. This is a true New England-style recipe Whoopie pies are a beloved treat, a nostalgic dessert that evokes childhood memories and continues to delight today. My mom would make them for us every once in a while. Oh, what a treat to come home from school to a platter of chocolate whoopie pies! This recipe, inspired by traditional Maine-style whoopie pies, comes from my family recipe box. It delivers soft, chocolatey cakes with a rich, creamy cooked filling – no marshmallow fluff needed! The Best Whoopie Pies Recipe (Soft cakes & Creamy Filling) This post includes affiliate links. Whoopie pies are essentially handheld cake sandwiches: soft, round, cake-like cookies embracing a luscious, creamy filling. While their origin is debated, New Englanders proudly claim them as their own. This recipe focuses on the traditional Mai...

Easy Chicken Parmesan-A Make Ahead Freezer Dinner

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dinner in the Just One Donna house because it is a delicious dish that can satisfy your cravings for Italian food. It's also easy to make at home with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry. But what if you don't have time to cook on a busy weeknight? Don't worry, you can make Chicken Parmesan ahead of time and freeze it for later. I like to prepare Chicken Parmesan to have on hand in my freezer for those busy weeknights when we might be tempted to head to a restaurant instead of eating at home. How to Make Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Busy Nights This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small compensation when you shop using these links Easy Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Dinner Chicken Parmesan, also known as Chi...

Lemon Yogurt Cake

A Lemon Cake to Delight Lemon Lovers Something happens to my taste buds as soon as spring hits each year. I start to crave lemon. It seems like I can't stop thinking about lemon squares, lemon meringue pie, and lemon cake. Does this happen to any of you? It seems that my taste buds have seasons too! Today I'm making a lemon yogurt cake to satisfy my desire for anything lemon and to use some of the slow cooker yogurt I have in the refrigerator. Lemon Yogurt Cake This is another Ina Garten recipe, from the Barefoot Contessa At Home. It's a favorite because it is moist and lemony. You'll like this recipe because it is really easy to make by hand. No electric mixer is required. So, when you are in the mood for a little sweet something you'll be able to whip this cake up in a snap. Lemon Yogurt Cake Printer Friendly Recipe Makes 1 loaf cake Ingredients Lemon Yogurt Cake Ingredients 1 1/2 cups all-p...

Just~One~Donna

Search This Blog