It's that time of year again! The best time to snuggle up with your kiddos and warm up with a cup of cocoa. My two year old loves the Penzey's Hot chocolate mix that grandma always gets him. They also have a mint flavor that we are yet to try! But when I have enough time, I like to make my own hot chocolate for my son. He loves this Christmas Hot Chocolate recipe. Sometimes I will even make a little snowman buddy out of a marshmallow and pretzels to add on top! You can see how to do that here.
Christmas Hot Chocolate Recipe
There is an easy way to make this with peppermint extract, but it is a bit more authentic to melt down the peppermints. I will give you both variations. Keep in mind, you can make this as chocolatey and pepperminty as you want. Also, I prefer homemade whipped cream for the top, which I easily make with heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in my KitchenAid. But you can always go with store-bought or mini marshmallows.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 cups of milk
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 crushed peppermint sticks (or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract)
- toppings: whipped cream, whole peppermint stick and/or hot cocoa buddy
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium heat. Slowly whisk in cocoa powder until dissolved.
- Add chocolate chips and crushed peppermint (or peppermint extract).
- Simmer over medium heat until chocolate chips (and crushed peppermint) have melted (about 10 minutes).
- As soon as Christmas hot chocolate boils, remove from heat. Add pinch of salt and then ladle into mugs.
- Add optional toppings: whipped cream, marshmallows, full peppermint stick. Serve immediately.
There you have it: our easy, Christmas Hot Chocolate recipe. Please leave us a comment and let us know how yours came out.
You may also like reading about Cooking with Kids.