Is it ever really the holiday season without mugs of hot chocolate? I love watching Christmas movies with a cup full of steaming chocolate and as much whipped cream as possible (I may or may not keep the whipped cream aerosol can next to me at all times for an instant spray), so I wanted to make a few holiday options for you all. The three hot chocolate variations I chose to create are peppermint, s’mores and salted caramel- classic flavors for the cooler weather. Each mug contains the same hot chocolate base, but I dressed them up according to their flavor finale.
To create the hot chocolate drink (enough to fill the three mugs, approximately three servings), I combined five cups of milk with 1 1/3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips in a pot. I heated the mixture on low, stirring every 15 seconds in order to break up the chocolate smoothly. The whole process of melting the chocolate and milk took around 10 minutes or so and I scooped the drink into each mug once it was finished. For the peppermint drink, I added two drops of peppermint extract to the liquid and topped it off with a generous portion of whipped cream and crushed candy canes for an extra zing. My dad broiled a handful of medium-sized marshmallows in the oven and added them to the top of the filled mug before I sprinkled one graham cracker on top to make a sweet s’mores drink. The salted caramel hot chocolate required another heavy dose of whipped cream topped off with a caramel sauce drizzle and a pinch of salt around the cream. Enjoy each drink with a cookie or two and “Eloise at Christmastime” in the background!