Hot Chocolate For A Cold Day

After coming indoors, on a cold winter day, there is no better way to warm up than with a warm cup of hot chocolate. It warms you up from the inside and is so delicious!

I grew up with a mixture of the powdered hot chocolate you buy from the grocery store and homemade. As a child, it really did not matter to me which version I had – I just enjoyed the warm chocolatey taste.

As an adult, there is still something very sentimental about the powdered hot chocolate but there is also a part of me that truly cherishes homemade.

Most of the time, I have the ingredients to make hot chocolate on hand. Surprisingly, the one I might not have all the time is milk! We use both almond milk and regular 2% milk to make this recipe – depending on which we have. If you really want a decadent treat – you can also try adding some whipping cream or half and half to the mixture!

Or make whipped cream and add it to the top with some chocolate sprinkles and then you can be truly fancy!

Hot Chocolate Toppings

What do you like to put on top of your warm cup of cocoa?

Marshmallows? Whipped cream?

As a kid, I absolutely loved marshmallows – the more the better. My 4 year old seems to be following me down that pathway. He absolutely loves marshmallows in his warm mug of chocolately goodness. In all fairness, he will also eat marshmallows by the handful as well.

My favourite topping is now whipped cream.

I also love that I can make whipped cream and freeze it as individual dollops on a lined baking sheet (then transfer to a storage bag once frozen). The frozen whipped cream helps to cool down the drink, making it so I can enjoy it quicker. It also adds a lovely richness as it melts. We rarely keep whipping cream in the refrigerator because it goes bad before we use it all. Freezing it like this allows me to make a big batch when we have a special dessert and then just freeze the leftovers.