The coziest mug of hot cocoa…for your Black Friday lounging…of course! Hoping you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!! I know so many of you made recipes from HBH. I’ve been loving taking a peek at your dishes on Instagram. It’s always so fun to see what everyone is making!! I’m feeling extra thankful for you all today!! And to thank you for your support? A mug of delicious steaming hot cocoa! I have to admit, I spent a lot of time thinking about what would be the perfect post to share with you all today. I went back and forth with a few ideas, as I always do. But in the end, my heart set on this sweet mug of hot chocolate. It’s the best way to officially welcome in the holiday season, and all the decorating, holiday music, baking, and time with friends and family that’s to come. It’s also especially perfect if you happen to be trimming the tree and decking the halls today like I am. Yes, I’m skipping the Black Friday crowds and instead, spending the day inside decorating. I’m much more of a Cyber Monday person anyway!
Here’s the story behind this coconut hot cocoa…
First, it started with a picture in my head. I wanted so badly to create the creamiest mug of hot chocolate for the coziest season. Something that felt decadent, but wasn’t overly sweet or heavy. Enter in canned coconut milk, the key ingredient to my extra creamy hot cocoa. You can use lite or regular coconut milk, either way, you’ll get the creamiest hot chocolate that’s perfectly hinted with coconut. It’s not overpowering but instead is subtle and delicious. In addition to the coconut milk, you’ll need real maple syrup, cocoa, semi-sweet or dark chocolate, and vanilla. All pantry staples. All delicious when combined together. Mix all the ingredients in a pot and warm until steaming. Then just ladle into mugs…
But first, you’ll need snowman marshmallows…
Yes, snowman marshmallows. They are the cutest little dudes, the easiest to create, and you do indeed need them. I will admit that for the everyday mug of hot chocolate, I skip the marshmallows. To be honest, they’ve never been my favorite as they are pretty sweet. But as with most things, they have their time and place. And if there’s ever a time to indulge, it’s now. So, I give you these cute little snowman marshmallows. They consist of three regular old marshmallows, a pretzel stick, melted chocolate, one sprig of rosemary, and a sweet mini meringue cookie. That’s it. Simply thread the marshmallows onto the pretzel sticks, add a face and buttons with melted chocolate, tie on a “rosemary” scarf, and then finish him off with a peppermint top hat.
So easy, so cute, so fun…and so delicious in your coconut hot chocolate. Each mug of warm cocoa is thick, creamy, perfectly sweet, and heavy on the chocolate. One thing to keep in mind though, the hot chocolate itself is not overly sweet. Personally, I usually make it even less sweet by omitting the maple syrup and only using the chocolate to sweeten things up. If you can handle a less sweet mug of hot cocoa, I’d recommenced only adding the maple syrup to your taste. If you’ll be adding the marshmallows, remember that those will also sweeten this up quite a bit. So be sure to adjust the maple syrup to your preferred taste! Question: are you more of a whipped cream or marshmallow person when it comes to hot chocolate? Or are you both? I’m all about whipped cream…except in December…the month you just go with BOTH. So what’s your pick? Whipped cream? Marshmallows? Both?
A few notes…
You can easily make this vegan by using vegan chocolate chips and vegan marshmallows. If you’d like to make this in the slow cooker, that works well too. I’ve given you those directions as well! And finally, if you need something sweet to warm things up today (or anytime this coming December), make this hot chocolate. It’s universally loved by all, no matter their age.
PS. if you’re looking for a vanilla mocha hot cocoa, try this! If you make this creamy coconut hot chocolate, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
