If you close your eyes and imagine the perfect winter day, it’s likely that hot chocolate is involved at some point. It’s the perfect cold weather staple, and I’m sure most of us have a package or two hiding somewhere in our cupboards.
Sure, you can add some hot water and make a cup of liquid chocolatey goodness, or you can think outside the igloo and try some of these unique and easy hot chocolate hacks:
Hot Chocolate Popcorn
Salty? Sweet? Why not both?!
This recipe uses marshmallows, candy melts, hot chocolate and milk chocolate to add a rich sweetness to the saltiness of the popcorn. Seem like a bit much? Simply add marshmallows or candy melts to the popcorn to create a creamy layer for the hot chocolate to adhere to.
The entire recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make and the popcorn can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Caramel Hot Chocolate Brownies
The title of this recipe alone has me sold – caramel? chocolate? brownies? I’m in. This seems like a standard brownie recipe, except the hot chocolate adds an extra richness while the tiny cocoa marshmallows add a bit of a crunch.
This recipe yields about 18-24 brownies.
Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Squares
You know those people on the Netflix show “Nailed It!” that try to bake and fail miserably and horribly? Yeah, that’s me. I can, however, make basic Rice Krispie squares so when I find a recipe I can handle I like to try every variation possible.
This recipe is super simple, and involves adding hot chocolate mix to the treats and adding marshmallows and chocolate chips to the top. No fuss and no muss.
And it only takes about 15 minutes to do!
Hot Chocolate French Toast
French toast is one of those super quick and easy, yet decadent and delicious, breakfast items you can easily whip up in the morning. While this particular recipe involves a chocolate ganache and some other frou-frou, you can easily skip the fancy and go straight to the part where you soak the bread in a hot chocolate, egg and milk mix.
Otherwise, if you feel you’re up to it, the full recipe looks absolutely divine.
Hot Chocolate Pudding
I’m not usually one for making stuff I can easily buy off the shelf in the grocery store but, apart from cooking from scratch being a healthier option, this recipe is easy and it’s likely you already have all the ingredients you need!
Be warned, however, that this recipe does take around 4 hours to set, so it’s not a viable option for a quick chocolate fix.
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Oatmeal
Cut down your breakfast prep time by making this rich and delicious oatmeal dish ahead of time! All you need for this recipe is oats, brown sugar, hot chocolate and salt. You can garnish the dish with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.
Cook time is 6 hours on low in the slow cooker, so you can prepare this recipe at night and it’ll be ready first thing in the morning! Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
